A New Tool In The Doctor’s Bag
They say the Internet has revolutionised the way the world is doing business and undergoing education. That’s true in medicine as well – gone are the days that medical students cut up human cadavers and lug around Gray’s Anatomy. The use of virtual 3D models and optical discs has made studying medicine a bit more bearable; but even these technologies will fall by the wayside in the future.
Smartphones..the most important tool after the stethoscope
A recent study Taking The Pulse v9.0 issued by Manhattan Research found that 64% of doctors, more than double the number eight years ago, are using smartphones — iPhones, BlackBerrys, Treos and other hand-held devices.
How can smartphones help? Some examples:
- A doctor seeing a patient for the first time can be astounded by the variety of pills given by previous doctors. By feeding in the shape, colour and probable use of the pill into a software called Epocrates, one is able to obtain a list of medications and images that match those criteria, allowing the doctor to identify the pill.
- While dining in a restaurant, a doctor can receive an attachment by email showing an ECG done by a colleague of a patient about to get a heart attack. Previously, he would have had to stay at home and wait by the fax machine.
- By the bedside, a doctor can check immediately the dosages of medicines, drug interactions and even show images to help the patient understand better.
My favourite - the Blackberry Bold - largely because many medical programs are Windows-based
Such is the popularity of these devices that some medical schools, like Georgetown University in Washington DC already require their students to each use a smartphone. This is a trend catching on fast and it looks like a matter of time before they are used in all med schools.
But with any new technology, there are reservations. Take privacy concerns, for example..all this patient stuff in a smartphone can fall into the wrong hands and create confidentiality issues. There are concerns too by some patients that it would be quite annoying talking to a doctor who’s busy peering into the small screen and apparently not paying attention to what is being said!
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For Those Studying Medicine…(7)
With the plethora of diagnostic devices and computer-generated devices, its not surprising that some doctors can arrive at a diagnosis 
without coming into physical contact with a patient, other than by entering the room with a cursory greeting and a customary “how are you?”.
Physical contact includes simple things like hand-to-hand contact and actual physical examination of the patient. True, there are limitations as to what can be achieved by using your five senses, what with high-fangled scans and sophisticated devices being able to get to the root of the problem with hardly any sweat being raised.
My contention is that the physical examination is an important ritual in establishing a good patient-doctor relationship. This ritual sets the stage by which the person being examined transforms his role to that of a patient and also, places his trust in the hands of the doctor examining him.
And just in case you think rituals are not important, we might as well have not had the Presidential swearing-in ceremony for heads of state!
For Those Studying Medicine…(6)
Good communication skills increase rapport with the patient
“What’s happened to the enlarged spleen in Bed 10?”
How often have you heard a doctor say this to medical staff? Engrossed in the technicalities and the medical paraphernalia of the disease and its cure, many doctors tend to forget that behind the medical problem is a live human being, with emotions and real feelings. Unconsciously, they have depersonalised the patient and treated them just as an object.
One of the qualities of a good doctor is that they do not forget that they are always communicating to another fellow human being with emotions and feelings. And this includes good bedside manners like greeting the patient on approaching the hospital bed..each time and every time!
For Those Studying Medicine..(5)
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
-Confucius (551-479 BC), Chinese philosopher and founder of Confucianism
Its often been said that studying to be a doctor is a calling, as opposed to many other professions when its just involves studying to obtain an occupation. To become a doctor not only involves studying hard but it involves a change in one’s lifestyle and attitude towards life, in the pursuit of the maxim ” to cure sometimes, to heal often and to comfort always”.
Many medical students appear daunted at the long tortuous years of study ahead of them but this is often made easier if, before taking that first step, that you have the right aptitude and attitude. In my book, you do need some brains (though not as much as a rocket scientist), but more important, the three paramount qualities that you need are :
- a desire to help others
- a love for learning
- a curiosity towards how diseases affect people
If its money you’re after, there’s a lot of other careers which are more lucrative; minus the sacrifice, effort and responsibilities of becoming a doctor!
For Those Studying Medicine..(4)
The superior doctor prevents sickness;
The mediocre doctor attends to impending sickness;
The inferior doctor treats actual sickness;
-Old Chinese Proverb
Comments: This saying exemplifies the holistic concept of Chinese traditional medicine, whereas Western medicine focuses mainly on curative treatment. If there’s an infection, the Western-trained doctor would focus on antibiotics to knock off the bug, but Chinese medicine would attribute it to imbalance of forces in the person and focus on their general wellbeing and rectifying the imbalance. There is a greater emphasis on prevention; as seen by the omnipresent barefoot doctors promoted by Mao Tse-Tung in the 1960s.
Medical students should not forget that preventative medicine is the backbone of their role as doctors and not over-emphasize curative treatment. The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease, so said Thomas Edison.
Management staff can learn from this too : it is important to pre-empt any problems from arising; by looking out for warning signals, rather than allow untoward events to eventually happen.
For Those Studying Medicine..(3)
Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine
“To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always”
-ascribed to Hippocrates (Greek physician, 460-370 BC)
Comment:
As a medical student this message would have been drummed in countless times; and, as a young doctor, one will realise that permanent eradication of illness is not always possible and that many diseases cannot be cured. One needs to not just administer pain-killers but also to devote time to understand the patient’s agenda despite a busy work schedule, offer empathy and, most important, seeing the patient as a human being, not just an object to operate on or to inject drugs in.
When treatment has failed to cure and patients are about to die, many doctors and nurses feel they have failed and give up their hands in despair. Don’t forget that that the dying patient still requires another form of treatment – palliative care.
For Those Studying Medicine… (2)
Sir William Osler : Canadian-born and regarded as the most influential physician in history
“When a doctor treats himself, he has a fool for a patient”
–Sir William Osler (1849-1919)
Comment:
Came across this statement by a doctor writing about her personal experiences, and its worth remembering for those who are studying medicine. They will teach you in medical schools not to treat your own relatives, but not many will also say flatly that doctors should not treat themselves.
The reasons are manifold : professional objectivity is compromised, proper history and physical examination is difficult( try looking into your ear canals!), diagnostic reasoning may be faulty and emotional feelings like denial may come into play.
Emergency treatment and minor problems aside, it is best to consult a professional colleague. Doctors ask patients to seek medical care from doctors, so doctors are no different. Practise what you preach!
For Those Studying Medicine..(1)
Paracelsus - not an ancient Greek/Roman physician but a 16th century Swiss doctor
The art of medicine cannot be inherited, nor can it be copied from books…. – Paracelsus
Comments:
Some readers aspiring to become doctors, aka medical students, asked if I had any tips, so this is an appropriate one to start with. Yes, to become a good doctor does not mean cramming in the library all the time. It is a profession dealing with unwell people, and above all, it has all to do with communicating with a fellow human being. And this is best done when you’re in the field, in this case, by the bedside.
Never forget that it is not a pneumonia, but a pneumonic man who is your patient, to borrow the words of William Gull.
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