This has been interesting to follow the discussion about whether all this
was politically motivated or based on a scientific study that was
meritorious of publication in a prestigious journal. I'd like to put a
slightly different slant on things and steer away from the political stuff.
If the paper had sufficient merit for publication (a point that seems to be
under some debate), then clearly the AMA has engaged in censorship. If it
was not meritorious, then some of the potential reasons for publication
might include: poor judgement; political motivation; the desire to be
provocative. The first two of these appear to be errors that warrant
remediation, the last needs to reflect the editorial policies of the journal
and the AMA. Lets pay attention to the first two. If an employee makes a
mistake, preemptive termination is usually reserved for the most egregious
of errors (murdering ones boss, betrayal of patient confidentiality,
falsification of medical records, etc). All other errors usually warrant
other action: collecting information about the nature of the error,
informing the employee of the error, identification of circumstances that
may have precipitated it, and developing a plan of action. In some cases a
plan of monitoring, warnings, and other disciplinary/remediation action are
considered. If serious enough, then repeated mistakes of a similar nature
may warrant progressive disciplinary action up to and including termination.
My point is that for less serious errors there is usually some due process.
If this was the culmination of a series of appropriately taken, private
disciplinary actions, then maybe the AMA acted appropriately. If not, then
they certainly, among other things are guilty of poor labor management and
ought to be taken to task for it.
Henry
Henry C. Barry, MD, MS
Associate Professor
Senior Associate Chair
Department of Family Practice Academic Office Phone:
517-353-0851 x 456
B-100 Clinical Center Clinical Office
Phone: 517-353-3050
Michigan State University Fax:
517-355-7700
East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1315 E-mail:
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