Washing dirty linen in public
There is an increasing spate of doctors penning their thoughts in our local dailies. Contents range from advice to discontentment. A recent letter stood out like a sore thumb. What is the point of writing this letter in the press?
This doctor laments on the attitudes of doctors taking referrals from primary care teams. However, there are always two sides to a coin. I do agree that it is important for doctors, be it those that refer or the ones that receive them, to carry out their duties with decorum.
Unfortunately, it has to be understood that on call doctors taking referrals would have been working for the entire day, as opposed to most referring doctors , especially those manning the emergency units, who work by shifts. Primary care doctors should not take it to heart if the doctors at the other end of the line appears edgy or "difficult to deal with".
Calling for help should not go unheeded and should be taken seriously. However, there are many instances where primary teams are lackadaisical and careless. For example, a referral for jaundice made to a medical team without a proper history, examination and initial investigation, displays incompetence.
There are many variables at stake here. Perhaps the author of the letter should bring the matter up with his respective hospital administration before showing such angst in a public domain.
Perhaps, what medical educators should stress upon, in addition to doctor-patient relationship, is doctor-doctor relationship. A department where even senior doctors would trip carelessly.
Docs must be more open to referrals HEALTH Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek recently brought up the matter of the responsibility of doctors who are on call; namely that they should be ready to work during their call hours as they are being paid. continuing story |
Unfortunately, it has to be understood that on call doctors taking referrals would have been working for the entire day, as opposed to most referring doctors , especially those manning the emergency units, who work by shifts. Primary care doctors should not take it to heart if the doctors at the other end of the line appears edgy or "difficult to deal with".
Calling for help should not go unheeded and should be taken seriously. However, there are many instances where primary teams are lackadaisical and careless. For example, a referral for jaundice made to a medical team without a proper history, examination and initial investigation, displays incompetence.
There are many variables at stake here. Perhaps the author of the letter should bring the matter up with his respective hospital administration before showing such angst in a public domain.
Perhaps, what medical educators should stress upon, in addition to doctor-patient relationship, is doctor-doctor relationship. A department where even senior doctors would trip carelessly.
1 Comments:
i agree.
i was never taught how to communicate effectively, be it with patients/relatives, nurses or colleagues, but this had to be learned on the job. mistakes were made, tempers flared & colleagues fought - & the patients are the losers.
this became more obvious in govt hospitals - just a personal observation, having been in both public & private practice.
now, with the proliferation of private med schools, i doubt if this flaw can be addressed in the near future, if at all.
giving the benefit of doubt to the writer of the letter, he may have discussed the issue with the hosp administrator, & more likely than not, he would have hit a brick wall(aka inertia in physics) or told it will "be looked into".
either way, the problem remains.
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