Expectedly, the British Medical Association (BMA) has answered the accusation by saying that "the scale of the problem is no worse than for the general population." But the public has already been alarmed about this worrisome development.The British Medical Association has called for action over alcohol and drug abuse among medics after a BBC survey showed the problem was widespread.
BBC One's Real Story found over the last 10 years 750 hospital staff in England had been disciplined over alcohol and drug-related incidents.
The BMA estimates 1 in 15 doctors could be abusing drugs and alcohol.
BMA Ethics Committee chairman Michael Wilks said the profession was in denial and needed help to tackle the problem.
[BBC News, June 13 2005]
If you ask me, I think I would propose additional surveys to evaluate the prevalence doctors who are heavy smokers and who are either overweight or obese. For me, the practice of Medicine is like leadership by example. If we ask patients to stop smoking or to avoid being obese, but we ourselves are doing otherwise, I think there is an obvious problem there. How can we even be convincing when we preach something we don't even do ourselves?
About the hydraulic elevator oil....
The Philippines has cases of "verbally abusive doctors," Britain has its "alcoholic doctors," and the US has its "hydraulic-elevator-oil-drenched-surgical-instruments." I'm sure there are plenty more "dark-side-of-medicine stories" out there, whatever part of the globe you're in, right now.About 3,800 patients at two hospitals run by Duke University Health System were operated on last year with instruments that were washed in hydraulic fluid instead of detergent, hospital regulators said.
Duke Health Raleigh and Durham Regional hospitals put patients in "immediate jeopardy" in November and December by not detecting the problem, despite complaints from medical staff about slick tools, according to a report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
[CBS News, June 13 2005]
For patients, I suggest extra care, and be more meticulous in choosing your health care provider. For my fellow doctors, I suggest practicing what we preach so our patients will feel safer and trust us even better.
8 reactions:
it's really bad when medical practitioners who have access to cntrolled drugs use their access to just self-destruct...
and no... i'd be hardpressed to trust someone who didn't have the self-control to resist from abusive/dependent behavior...
"Medic!" private miller calls... we got a man down... The medic rushes to the wounded and with his vodka on hand and ready spills it all over the wounded soldier's wounds...
Not bad really. It's not a conflict of interest ;-) hehehe
It's so hard to find a good doctor these days, Dr. E!!!
it's doctors like them who give us doctors a bad name. tsk tsk
dr emer, it's scary because it's giving the profession, just like dr. greenleaf has said, a bad name. These things make us look like Dr. Jekyll....and Mr. Hyde.
But more importantly, would you visit a doctor if you knew that he was being corted constantly by pharmaceutical sales people and paid handsomely to perscribe drugs to you? Would you consider you doctors nutritional advice knowing that throughout his education, he was indoctrinated into a bias against using suplements such as vitamins or other natural remidies to promote health?
Think I'm crazy? Here's an example.
crazylover: That's not the only problem. We are but humans like anyone else. We commit mistakes and we err. We hope we realize it sooner, and we pray we would be understood.
jardine: That's amusing and painful at the same time, my friend.
toni: True. So true. We try to be the best we can be at all times.
jing: Hello Jing. Like what I said, we hope we can correct whatever mistakes we do.
dr. greenleaf: Not every one is a bad apple. 'Great to see you here.
juls: Yo! Comment allez-vous? You're right, but I don't think you're one of them.
bob: Hello there. No, I don't think you're crazy. I believe you. You just gave an idea for a future post. You see, not everyone of us has been "indoctrinated into a bias against using supplements such as vitamins or other natural remedies." Thanks for dropping by.
Post a Comment