1815 S. Clinton Ave Suite 405
Rochester, NY 14618
NOTICE:
Our Practice has MOVED
Our new location is:
Suite 405
1815 South Clinton Ave
Rochester, NY, 14618.
The NEW phone number is 585-565-3500
Our Practice has MOVED
Our new location is:
Suite 405
1815 South Clinton Ave
Rochester, NY, 14618.
The NEW phone number is 585-565-3500
For appointments call
585.565.3500
Fax Number:
585.434.4081
585.565.3500
Fax Number:
585.434.4081
The "Art" of Medicine
May 31st, 2009
Science and technology are undeniably critical ingredients to improving the quality of healthcare and the delivery thereof, today. Add to that a role for “standardization”—treatment pathways and protocols—and hopefully best practices and acceptable cost of care is provided.In a recent AAOS Now publication, Frank Griffin, MD cautions that a “Wal-Mart” model probably won’t work for medical care, however. He notes, “Science isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“So what’s the problem?” he asks. He goes on to acknowledge a number of them:
• The [scientific] literature is simply too confusing.
• Rarely do all similar studies reach similar conclusions.
• Researchers are biased---they or their institutions often stand to gain financially or professionally from the results of their studies.
• Regional variations in patient expectations may exist.
He makes a very important point about a component of care that may be lost amidst Centers of Excellence, Institutes, and large scale offerings---particularly marketed in the current climate of “consumerism”.
The “Art” of Medicine.
He humbly notes that part of the art “is sorting through the mass of information and applying it to our individual practices.” He goes on to write that, “sometimes the best scientific study may not apply well to a particular patient for reasons that are not always evident to a layperson.”
Despite efficiency, patient individuality prevents mass-produced medicine, thus patients can’t go through the system like cars on an assembly line. Patients respond to diseases and popular treatments differently.
He underscores that “Part of the “art” is recognizing the individuality of [each] patient and respecting the fact that people are not all the same.”
“Medicine is too personal. It isn’t like buying a commodity.”
Another article in the same May issue of AAOS Now addresses the balance in Orthopaedic Surgery between High Technology and High Touch. Indeed, Dr Griffin appreciates the importance of the latter in providing remarkable care—
“By reaching out and touching their patients, doctors show compassion and solidarity with them. Patients begin the healing process simply by gaining a companion who is trying to help relieve their suffering. Doctors also encourage patients to participate actively in their care [and] have the authority to critique [their] participation and act as guides……The power to heal goes beyond curing the human body. Illness is not a biologic or physical entity alone”
“Science and technology alone can’t deliver the kind of healthcare that we want”, he writes. “Compassionate application of the “art of medicine” plays a role.”
Dr Griffin’s opinions reflect my own as well. Seems like a big task----and it is. But it goes hand in hand with the privilege of helping you feel better; all of you—not just your shoulder, hand and elbow.
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