Sunday 20 July 2014

guides for new docs- what does it say about the culture of medicine?

The BMJ guide for newly qualified doctors is well written and packed with useful information.
It can be downloaded at http://doc2doc.bmj.com/assets/secure/youwillsurvive.pdf
However, if we step back and take a more panoramic view, does it tell us something more interesting about the culture of medicine and the values that it represents?
The guide it titled 'You will Survive', and page 2 starts with the sentence "The first day will always be frightening says junior doctor......."
The overall tone of the guide is that new doctors are going to feel out of their depth and under great levels of stress. The interesting question is to what degree the tone of the guide reinforces the notion that feeling overwhelmed should be considered normal. Preparing doctors to accept that being stressed is the norm and that feeling terrified is acceptable makes it less likely that they will ever question whether healthcare can be delivered in a radically different way.
It's obvious that guide is useful, but does it get the individuals to focus on themselves rather than the system they inhabit?

Thursday 3 July 2014

What kind of doctors have difficulty asking for help?

Doctors who male, older or suffering from addictions have greater difficulties when asking for help from a Physicians’ Health Program. Very interesting study from a team from Barcelona. 
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/7/e005248.full.pdf+html