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I’m coming up on my two year anniversary and I am nervous.
Tag: death
Just gimme 20 min
Hi guys. Dr. Katz here. It has been a minute but my soapbox is begging me to climb back up so I’m gonna. There is just something I have to get off my chest.
The women’s health screening recommendations are trash lately. I mean, they completely suck. All this nonsense about spacing mammograms farther apart, forgetting about yourself after the age of 50, not needing an obgyn exam after having a hyst….all baloney and dangerous on top of that!
First of all, why would we ever recommend something that would decrease our awareness of our own bodies? How does that make any sense? How does that empower us or increase our chances of using our powers to evoke good in the world? I tell ya. It doesn’t. Those recommendations are based on statistics and costs, not people and patients. Those statististics and recommendations are based on how much it would cost to save the lives of 5 or 10 or 20 extra women. Well I say, what is the cost of a human life? Can you really put a cost on it? To me, every single life out there is precious and worth preserving. There is no cost too heavy to at least attempt to save it. For all these small numbers of difference in lives spared, I find these numbers to be at least ten times higher just in my practice. In the last month alone, I have had to give bad news to at least ten women that was preventable or at least treatable at a much earlier stage if someone had been looking. These women were not doing anything wrong. They were not being non compliant. They were just following these recommendations that their physicians were following. None of them even had symptoms serious enough to warrant their seeking medical help. That’s just how sneaky obgyn issues are!
I have something to say to these academicians who make these recommendations. When you are ready to sit down face to face to one of those patient whose diagnosis you missed and tell them how it was too costly to bother with them, then we can talk. If you can’t, and I suspect you can’t, then I am going to continue to ignore those recommendations and advise women to be seen on a yearly basis. You can’t even use insurance coverage as a reason because most insurances are still covering the yearly exam, even with no copay! Why are we wasting the opportunity to make good use of our awesome preventative resources? Why?
Bottom line. I am a fan of the yearly check-up. Just c’mon in will ya?
Some Patients are More Fragile Than Others or, the Importance of the Healthcare Team
Doctors and health care teams listen up! I have something to say! Some patients are more fragile than others. What the hell does this mean? It means that you have to be extra careful what you say to them. It means that you have to be extra thoughtful before you speak to them. It means that you need to do your research before you open your mouth and accidentally freak them out. You as the physician are part of a team and the whole team has to communicate with each other so that everyone has the same information. The patient does not need to hear different and/or conflicting information from each source. This only leads to potential panic and confusion and makes it difficult for the patient to follow through and get the care that they need. To you it may seem like a simple oversight. To the patient, it can seem like the end of the world.
This really applies to all patients, but the group I have in mind at the moment are cancer patients. This group of patients literally has their lives in your hands. They hang on your every word. They are depending on you to help them get to the other side of their illness with an intensity that is greater than patients with other diseases. You have a direct impact on their physical AND mental health, both of which are key to their survival. Think about it for a second. Anything you say to them is regarding a disease that could kill them. You tell them if they qualify for clinical trials. You tell them what chemo or radiation they will get. You talk about costs. You have to talk to them if their cancer is not responding like you hoped. Sometimes you have to tell them they are going to die. Every word out of your mouth carries the weight of their future. One bit of discouraging news may not just mean a bad day for them. It may affect the rest of their lives. No. I am not exaggerating. It is really that important.
The bottom line is that the healthcare team has to be a cohesive, thoughtful, compassionate, comprehensive unit. Patient’s lives, mental health, and physical health depend on it.
Dr. Katz
Please tell your doctor everything…at your actual visit and while you are still in the room if you could.
Hello everyone. This is just a quick public service announcement on behalf of physicians everywhere. Everyone knows that it is our sacred responsibility to care for other human beings to the best of our ability. OK great. What seems to elude everyone is that our ability to be able to care for someone is highly dependent upon the information that we receive from the patient….at the time of their actual visit. I am always talking about the doctor patient team relationship and the communication between the patient and the physician is the absolute pillar and foundation of that relationship. There is no way that I can do my best to take care of you without knowing EVERYTHING there is to know about your health history and the details of the concern that you have. You are master and commander of your own ship. I am just the first mate. I help steer but I am not actually in charge of the course. I cannot act on anything that I don’t actually know about. I need you to tell me all of your symptoms and all of your history in order to help you. Every detail is potentially life or death important. Something you may think is trivial could be the absolute key to your health and survival. It is not safe to think of all the physicians that care for you as separate individuals. We are all on one team and we all need to be on the same page with the same knowledge base so that we don’t do anything that could cause you harm. We may be several different physicians, but we are all working with the same individual and everything that we recommend affects you. You can’t assume that everyone has access to the same information. Most of the time, we are getting our information from you so you need to be an active participant in letting all your team members know what is going on with you. The bottom line is: there is no such thing as too much information. Leave it to me to filter out what I need and what I don’t. Don’t self censor. It could cost you your health. And please, try to mention it while we are still talking in the room if you could. Have a great day.
Dr. Katz