New friends, new tricks

Today was enlightening. Never before have I heard terms such as “early closure” and “normalization of deviance”, words that define the daily flaws of medical care. Narcissism and mindfullness are concepts that I’ve always associated with people I know but never thought of in relation to medicine

At the core of all the activities today was the concept of open and honest communication. The team caring for Louis Blackman had many opportunities to admit that they didn’t know the cause of his symptoms. However, they chose to downplay his symptoms and close the case wothout a clear diagnosis. Narcissism was at play with senior residents, who did not involve their attendings at critical moments.

In medical school we are expected to answer multiple choice questions to demonstrate our knowledge. However patients don’t come in with A through E on their forehead. Its critically important to know that you don’t know.… Continue reading →