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I found this today and it blew my mind. It makes me angry and sad at the same time. If there is ever something that should break the "Doctor is God" idea this is it. How Common Are Medical Errors? http://roarofwolverine.com/archives/3019 Did you know things were this bad at hospitals? |
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SmartGirl wrote:
Statements like this totally ignore the fact that there is a problem with the culture of medical practice, at least in the United States. (I'd like to think things are slightly less bad in Canada; the smaller role of private money helps a bit, but probably not much.) Yes, medical college entry is difficult, as it should be. But it is also a system, like any other, and there are plenty of people who have learned how to game it. Take the MCAT -- it is entirely arguable whether performance on a standardized test such as the MCAT is a good measure of either analytical skill or scientific competence. There are scads of MCAT prep courses and books, and however difficult the test might be, there is an angle to it. Get the angle, and you score well. Is being able to see the angle a valuable skill? Perhaps for lawyers, but we are trying to train doctors, here. Physicians should know their science, have good intuition, and in the end (forgive me for mentioning this if it is obvious, because it does not seem to be obvious in some medical schools) what we're talking about here is this: they should know how to deal with people. Which means that they should basically like and respect people. Too many people are going into medicine for the wrong reasons. Money is an obvious one, but the money isn't really all that great considering what you have to invest to get it. Everybody wants to be a specialist, so general practice -- which is the backbone of the enterprise, and which is easily the most difficult "specialty" to do well -- gets short shrift. We are pumping out specialists like gangbusters and at the front lines, where the most critical diagnostic decisions are made, the ranks are thinning out. It is, quite frankly, nuts. No, a bigger problem is the people who want to be doctors because it makes them feel better about themselves. Some physicians expect to be treated like gods, and this rubs off on students, who go on to become physicians, and the cycle repeats itself. It was exactly this self-importance that turned me off a career in medicine, even though it interested me. I care about people and I didn't want to deal with the politics of the profession. You are dealing with human beings with stories, and suffering and death and loss. If you want to be a doctor, then you should check your ego at the door to the clinic. Reggie Jackson once said, "it ain't braggin', if you can do it." Too many doctors "brag." The best doctors are the humble ones, the ones who remember looking at charts like this one in medical school, who know that a doctor doesn't "save" anything, only postpones the inevitable. This is the crux of it: docs are human beings, they get things wrong, and if there is anything that needs to change about medical practice, it's that it needs to start being okay to be wrong and to admit your mistakes, without the threat of being eviscerated by your colleagues and your patients. The only thing separating doctors from "the rest of us" is that we don't hear about the mistakes, which happen even to the best. If you fixed this, doctors would start listening to patients more, become more pleasant human beings and ultimately better doctors. A healthier attitude towards error, and an understanding of the role of error in excellence, would benefit everybody. Good doctoring starts with selflessness. A career in medicine -- one lived well -- is a career as a servant of humanity. Those already living this have no reason to feel attacked by those who publicize and point out medical errors. |
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From what I've seen of the med school program, it's nothing compared to what engineers go through. People in my family have been so commonly misdiagnosed, that we've started ignoring what doctors day until 3 or 4 of them agree. My mother was misdiagnosed with leukemia when she was a child and when she lived past the month she "should have" died, they reevaluated and discovered a year later that she had spherocytosis. Then, we were told that spherocytosis isn't a dominant gene. It is. I've been misdiagnosed with oral herpes (when I was 7), my uncle broke his leg and was sent home with pain relievers and years later found out that it was a very severe break, and the list goes on.. It's not that all medical doctors are bad, it's just that they have a focus in their education and that's what their minds lean towards. An oncologist will always see cancer. It's extraordinarily difficult to memorize all of the diseases mankind has. That, and we live in a society that pushes for covering up the problem rather than curing it. (Blame the drug industry.) Doctors also frequently have god complexes due to their authority and lack of finding out that they're wrong. |
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I've made mistakes as a nurse. Nothing like facing a patient and saying you made a mistake. |
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Well, based on my experience with 'regular' doctors, this does not surprise me.... I can't tell you how many times I've been offered 'a course of antibiotics' when the doc has no idea what is wrong... Which is my pet peeve. Treat the issue, please don't try to mask my symptoms!!! If you don't know, do nothing and let's investigate. I suspect many people on this forum could also speak about their misdiagnosees... I for one was told I had crohns, ibs and many other issues before celiac disease was finally diagnosed. As long as I inhabit this body of mine, I will listen to it above any other 'authority'! Edit: there is a need for a medical profession, but I think this shows that there is a need to find a practitioner you trust, and even then, your body IS your responsibility. There are some great doctors out there, just like there are great people in every profession. Sadly, there are also the overworked, overstressed and yes, even lazy people in the medical fields, just like every other field. I appreciate that there are people trained to remove cancerous cysts, and that prolong and save lives. I do wish there was more auditing in this field as someones mistake can mean loss of life or limb. This is definitely an interesting conversation! |
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Medicine bashing is such a first world problem. |
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Dear Kathleen, In what you've characterized as a cesspool of learning and healthcare, there is a doctor saving a life, treating a cancer patient, delivering a baby, right now at this very moment. To take one bad example and attribute fault to every professional in the state is a crime. Are you even aware of the qualifying requirements to even gain acceptance to medical school? What is your level of education again? Jen, not all doctors prescribe antibiotics willy nilly... |
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I was misdiagnosed for years!!! Also, I had a registered dietitian working with me. She could have warned me about gluten intolerance, don't you think, especially knowing that I had gall bladder stones and they are associated with gluten intolerance. I have developed a strong mistrust of "regular" doctors. I still like them as people, but they are so so so way off track!!! It reminds me a lot of what goes on in education. I have been working at school for a long time, and I know tons of teachers, but only a few of them are actually any good. Only some actually know what they are doing. Most educators have no clue. And with all the mandatory testing it is going from bad to worse. Makes me want to go back to a cave... |
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Short answer: yes. First, he's in FL and FL is not known for it's good healthcare (or good educational system). Granted there are some good doctors but they aren't the norm. Maybe because if you kill really old people no one notices? I don't know... Second, there is no transparency in health care. Maybe the tiny clinic down the street where the uninsured go sees a ton of heart attacks. The chance of living if you see them while having a heart attack is 80%. The big hospital with the highly rated emergency room doesn't see heart attacks very often. The chance of living if you go in with a heart attack is 40%. Which do you go to? Getting quality care for YOUR health issue is hard when you have no transparency. Third, standard of care is hospital specific. What one hospital considers standard, another may not. The healthcare system needs fixing. But how to fix it is the question. |
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I didn't read the article. I'm not surprised that mistakes happen, but I'm not going to bash on the medical profession. Of course "doctors aren't god". I have never thought that. Good grief, just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean that they know all the answers like they do on TV shows like "House" and are perfect. This might be shocking, but not every detective solves like 99% of cases like they do on TV shows like Law and Order, either. Oh no. How many times have you had a teacher that made a mistake in grading? Have you ever had a mechanic that misdiagnosed a problem? Have you ever made a typo in an email? All the training in the world doesn't prepare someone for every single case in the world. We are unique and complex human beings. And if you're trying to discredit traditional doctors, this might be shocking, but Dr. Kruse has probably made mistakes, even though gasp he is not in the crowd of "typical doctors". It's called working hard in a profession that is continously evolving with new technology, in a field where intelligence, fine motor skills and the ability to handle stress in unexpected situations is necessary..and you know what, mistakes happen. |
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Read this post by Dr. Mercola and you'll get the whole picture: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/07/30/doctors-death-part-one.aspx He quotes research from the JAMA that considers MD's/hospitals/medical system the third leading cause of death in the US. Dr. Mercola even considers this to be an underestimate! Also, the WHO ranks the US 37th in the world despite spending a higher portion of it's GDP than any other country. http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/ Sad, but true. That's why it's so critical to have health care advisers who see things with a different paradigm. The treatment of sickness and disease with drugs and surgery is not working and hospitals are not places for health and healing. Optimal health and function does not come in a pill or procedure, it comes from making great choices most of the time for a sustained period of time. |
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I'll tell you about 2 reoccurring problems I have with the medical community. First, I was born with a congenital syndrome called Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome. This is something that is very obvious, it consists of (on me) a large port wine stain birthmark, covering my legs and part of my lower back; lymphedema in my left calf; and venous malformations. I was not given the official diagnosis until I was 14! That's after numerous treatments/surgeries. I was diagnosed by a resident when I was hospitalized for a severe Strep infection. Even now, when I tell doctors what I have, most don't know about it. In fact, I've only had 3 doctors ever, including the one who diagnosed me, know what it was. Second, since that Strep infection, I have had them at least 2 times a year, for 11 years now. When I've had to go to a new doctor, because of being out of town, etc. I have been told that I needed to be held over night for testing, etc. I explain to them that I know how this manifests, and what I'm usually given, but since it's rare, no one believes me. |
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Paleo has certainly changed my opinion of the medical profession. You grow up thinking firemen know how to put out fires and doctors know how to cure people. You forget that they are people too just muddling there way through the dark like the rest of us. |
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I had a pelvic exam, and then had the doctor tell me that I had genital warts. I was a virgin. I absolutely did not have genital warts, later confirmed by another doctor. I still see the same doc, because I like and respect him, but take everything he says with a grain of salt. |
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