Vera Sharav
http://www.ahrp.org and http://ahrp.blogspot.com
Excerpted Whole – Commentary by Vera Sharav.
A joint study by Harvard Medical School, Yale University School of Public Health, and the University of MelbourneCenter for Medical Research published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, confirms what critics have noted for some time:
“There is a measurable disconnect between what physicians say they think is the right thing to do and what they actually do.”
Although 96% of 1600 physicians surveyed agreed that physicians should report incompetent or impaired colleagues to relevant authorities, 45% of doctors who had direct knowledge of impaired or incompetent colleagues in their practice did not report them. And 48% of physicians who knew of a serious medical error did not report it to authorities.
Besides the disconnect between physicians’ support for reporting medical errors and the reality that nearly half do not do what they believe is right for the profession, the authors reported other areas where individual physician behavior is at odds with what they believe is best for patients and the profession, including:
Ordering unnecessary medical tests Managing conflict of interest Informing patients of conflict of interest
The survey looked at three main areas of professional norms: competence, self regulation, and moral attributes, using standards developed by the American Board of Internal Medicine and other groups under the 2002 Charter on Professionalism. It also gauged the extent to which specialty focus, practice location, and reimbursement factor into professional behaviors. Researchers examined such areas as honesty with patients, improving access to care, maintaining professional competency, protecting patient confidentiality, fulfilling professional responsibilities, and improving quality of care.
The lead author, Eric Campbell, Ph. D., (Harvard) who (with colleagues) earlier this year published A National Survey of Physician-Industry Relationships (Apr 26, 2007) acknowledges that the findings raise “serious questions about the ability of the medical profession to regulate itself.”
Indeed, since Medicine has come under the ubiquitous influence of the pharmaceutical-biotech industry, the culture of its practitioners has radically shifted. Where once medical practice was patient-centered, guided by the Hippocratic Oath, the focus of current medical practice is geared toward commercial profitability. Patient safety and patient best interest are all too often sacrificed for greater profits.
See Elder Abuse: Rx Antipsychotic Drugs
See: Professionalism in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Physicians by Eric Campbell, Susan Regan, et al. Annals of Internal Medicine, Dec. 2007 To access a copy of the IMAP Chartbook “Professionalism Among Physicians: Results of a National Survey,” visit http://www.imapny.org .
Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav veracare@ahrp.org 212-595-8974
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The following is from – Massachusetts General Hospital and IMAP smonheit@burnesscommunications.com ]
For more information, contact: Janet Firshein and Caroline Broder at 301-652-1558 jfirshein@burnesscommunications.com and cbroder@burnesscommunications.com
First Survey of Its Kind Shows Doctors’ Individual Behavior At Odds With Their Own Ethical Standards for the Profession
(Washington DC) – The first national survey to broadly examine attitudes and behaviors related to medical professionalism finds that U. S. physicians overwhelmingly believe that incompetence and mistakes among peers should be reported. However, when face-to-face with these problems, nearly one-half fail to do just that, which can have harmful and even fatal consequences… (continues)
Full Study Information HERE: Copies of the study “Professionalism in Medicine: Results of a National Survey of Physicians,” to appear in the December 4 Annals of Internal Medicine, is embargoed until 5 p. m. ET on December 3, 2007. To obtain copies contact Susan C. Anderson at 1-800-523-1546, ext. 2653 or1-215-351-2653 or e-mailing sanderson@acponline.org sanderson@acponline.org .
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I, Kathleen Maire Hill, present this information in my capacity as a natural person, exercising my natural rights and freedoms. This information represents my private thoughts and beliefs and has been compiled and expressed for peer-to-peer, educational experiences only.
· “Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand.” Bodie Thoene
· “Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.” – Gandhi
· “(Freedom) is the will to be responsible to ourselves.” Friedrich Nietzsche
· “Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” Jean-Paul Sartre
· “Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom.” Marilyn Ferguson
· “Alone with one’s conscience there are no alibis!” Tristano Ajmone
· “Ethical. existence [is] the highest manifestation of spirituality.” Albert Schweitzer
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