We've all seen it in the movies and on television: The brilliant, highly-experienced and tenacious chief surgeon berates the residents, interns, nurses - just about anyone - in the hospital for every offense, imagined or real. The surgeon gets away with this behavior because, well, s/he is brilliant, highly-experienced, and tenacious. More important, s/he brings in patients.
They are stereotyped as the playground bullies of the medical field, which is what makes this drama such rich fodder for the entertainment industry. Maggie Mahar posts an informative exploration today of the cultural divide in medicine between the doctors who "perform procedures" and those who "practice cognitive medicine."
Is there a difference between surgeons and other doctors in terms of their ability to act compassionately? It's a question that may never get answered, but something is starting to happen in the medical field to curb this kind of behavior. Namely, disciplining doctors. Take this case, reported on in The Boston Globe:
During an operation at a Salem hospital last summer, an orthopedic surgeon, frustrated by a pair of scissors that wouldn't cut, threw them and narrowly missed a nurse.
In many hospitals, outbursts from a top surgeon who generates significant revenue or a star researcher who wins huge grants often have been tolerated. But in this instance, North Shore Medical Center disciplined the doctor who threw scissors and required mandatory team training for all operating room staff under a recent policy requiring physicians to treat their colleagues with "civility and respect."
The article goes on to point out that The Joint Commission is for the first time is requiring all hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities to adopt "zero-tolerance" policies by Jan. 1, including codes of conduct, ways to encourage staff to report bad behavior, and a process for helping and, if necessary, disciplining offenders.
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