Stephen;
Sad and possibly true. I remember being told ad nauseum during training that physicians are life-long students and that what we learned in med school would inevitably change. Looks like not all of us learned this, remembered it or took it to heart. Being a student is challenging, and changing established practice patterns even moreso. it will be interesting to watch how (if) the necessity to maintain board certification to retain hospital privileges affects the ability of physicians to be life-long learners, and, by extension, allows patient outcomes to be consistent no matter the age of the physician. One could hope that, with the addition of wisdom, outcomes could improve with the duration in practice!
Loree K. Kalliainen, MD, FACS
St. Paul, MN
(9 yrs in training, 11 in practice)
-----Original Message-----
From: Evidence based health (EBH) [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stephen Senn
Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 3:00 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Patients worse off with more-experienced docs? In a study that flies in the face of common sense, sicker patients turned out to fare worse under the care of seasoned doctors than when newcomers to medicine looked after them.
It may not be true but if true I think that there is a simple explanation. Medics don't learn by interacting with patients because the feedback is not quick enough. To learn would require them to make extensive notes and regularly analyse and compare. The last time they had a chance to learn was in med school, hence the younger the more up to date.
Stephen
Stephen Senn
Professor of Statistics
School of Mathematics and Statistics
Direct line: +44 (0)141 330 5141
Fax: +44 (0)141 330 4814
Private Webpage: http://www.senns.demon.co.uk/home.html
University of Glasgow
15 University Gardens
Glasgow G12 8QW
The University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401
________________________________________
From: Evidence based health (EBH) [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul Elias [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 28 July 2011 21:13
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Patients worse off with more-experienced docs? In a study that flies in the face of common sense, sicker patients turned out to fare worse under the care of seasoned doctors than when newcomers to medicine looked after them.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/15/us-patients-worse-off-idUSTRE76E62T20110715
According to findings in the American Journal of Medicine, patients whose
doctors had practiced for at least 20 years stayed longer in the hospital and
were more likely to die compared to those whose doctors got their medical
license in the past five years.
no doubt this raises serious questions and supports the evidence based approach
and the need for doctors to remain seasoned and in touch with not just the needs
of the patient but the updated science.
Best,
Paul E. Alexander
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient or the individual responsible for delivering the e-mail to the intended recipient, please be advised that you have received this e-mail in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing, or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited.
If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the HealthPartners Support Center by telephone at (952) 967-6600. You will be reimbursed for reasonable costs incurred in notifying us. HealthPartners R001.0
|