Medicine

I see and hear about more and more unhappy physicians, some of whom become happy former-physicians. It makes me reflect on my own circumstances.

Research suggests that the four major underlying contributors to physician dissatisfaction and burnout are

I received a memo recently from an institution, extolling the virtues of its screening programs. It was entitled:

Screening Saves Lives. 

It was in large block capitals. I call bullshit on this.  Screening does not save lives. FULL. STOP.

This simplistic and self-serving public relations material is a typical example of common screening fallacy, that screening is an action that saves lives. This is worth deconstructing.

A recent article in USA Today talked about Regina Holliday’s efforts to make the medical record more easily and promptly available to patients so it becomes as a tool patients use as they engage in co-managing their own care. Her cause is just and her story is compelling, so I was dismayed at the pushback saying: Not so fast.