A lot of patients have had bad experiences with medicine. There are lots of reasons for that. It's really complicated, for one. Our knowledge isn't perfect. Our tests aren't perfect. Our treatments aren't perfect. And the people who do the jobs...well, we're far from perfect (1/)
There are other reasons, too. Historically, we've done a really bad job taking care of certain groups of people. Women with "hysteria," for instance. Locking away people with mental health disorders. Treating homosexuality as a disease. Treating addiction as a moral failure. (2/)
It's a really long list. And on top of that, some doctors are really bad. Sometimes it's incompetence. Sometimes it's a lack of compassion or understanding about people who aren't like themselves (in a profession that was traditionally occupied mostly by white men). (3/)
But there are other factors, too, that get in the way of caring for patients, often in discriminatory ways. Our system is flawed. And most of us do our best to work within it, caring for our patients in the best way we can. But we're human. We make mistakes. We are imperfect (4/)
We should acknowledge that imperfection, hear the stories of those we've let down, seek to learn from our mistakes and those of others, and continue to improve. I'm concerned about the recent dialogue--not because it hurts my feelings, but because it is inherently harmful (5/)
There are a lot of physicians who have found that practicing in the current climate is not at all what they anticipated. They're frustrated that they aren't able to care for their patients in the way they would like to. That they miss birthdays/holidays with their families. (6/)
That they work ridiculously long hours with little sleep. That they've devoted several years of their life and gone hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt to become something they no longer want to be. That patient satisfaction is more important than quality medicine. (7/)
That they feel it is only going to get worse, but there's no way out. But some of them find a way out. Sadly, it's a way out that means leaving behind their families, friends, colleagues, patients, and potential. Physician suicide is a serious and prevalent issue. (8/)
Right now, there are thousands of physicians thinking about it. I've thought about it. And I'm concerned that driving a wedge into an already widening gap between patients and physicians will only make that worse. Damaging that relationship further compromises patient care (9/)
It harms individual patient-physician relationships. It harms the relationship between the medical profession and the public, which, while far from perfect, is vital. It compromises our ability to care for our patients, which is something most of us care deeply about. (10/)
I've seen a lot of comparisons to #metoo (which isn't #MenArePigs) and #BlackLivesMatter (which isn't #WhiteLivesAreTrash)--both of which have accomplished great things without a blatantly offensive and antagonistic hashtag. (11/)
And #DoctorsAreDickheads doesn't seem like the most effective way to improve the patient-physician relationship or encourage compassion. Painting large groups of people with a broad and negative brush is rarely the best answer. (12/12)
