Misadventures in Medicine, A Cautionary Tale

Also, an Informal Guide to Navigating Health Care and some Lessons in Science

                                               Misadventures in Medicine, a Cautionary Tale.

Also, an Informal Guide to Navigating Health Care and some Lessons in Science

DISCLAIMER: Do not in any way mistake this account for medical advice!

Part 1: A Very Big Problem

I'm going to tell you a story. It is not an extra-ordinary tale. It is a common one; one that I have heard versions of my entire professional life. This is my version. You will no doubt recognize familiar elements. My story is a bit of a tragic comedy of medical mismanagement. This particular story and others like it are important, because they highlight a Very Big Problem in our health care system which is this:

Medical Error is a Major Cause of Death and Harm in the United States

Now, obviously, I did not die. I am not writing this from beyond the grave. My life was never even in danger. I was, however, subjected to real potential harm, as my story will bear out. To put this in perspective, consider the following: Harm due to medical errors affects fully 6 percent of patients globally (although most of the studies have been done in the US and Europe) or about one person in twenty. Twelve percent of those involved severe harm or death.1 One oft quoted statistic is that medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US. That would have made a great attention grabbing headliner but is probably an exaggeration that was based on faulty research.2,3 Either way, a lot of people are dying and being harmed from something that is preventable.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a 55 year old, married, middle class, Caucasian mother of three, currently residing in New England. My husband of 25 years is from India. My three wonderful children, a boy and two girls are ages 23, 21, and 15, respectively. One has graduated college, another is currently in college, and the youngest is still in high school. I am supremely grateful that for the majority of my life I have been blessed with good fortune, prosperity, and opportunity, as many others have not.

I am a licensed Physical Therapist. Most of my twenty plus year career has been spent working for non-profit hospitals doing out-patient orthopedics. I am dedicated to excellence, for the sake of my patients, and for the sake of my profession. In pursuit of excellence I have sought out opportunities to continue learning and honing my clinical skills. I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in physical therapy (PT) but have since gone back and earned my entry level doctorate. I am a certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and also hold a certification in manual (hands on techniques) therapy. I have just completed a 6 month Health and Wellness certificate program from Emory University. I have high standards, am a bit of a perfectionist, and tend not to suffer fools lightly. I am no particular respecter of persons based solely on rank (hence my abbreviated career in the Air Force, a different story). I am a natural sceptic and often find myself questioning prevailing wisdom. I'm a bit of a boat rocker; when I see a problem I bring it to attention so it can be addressed. I have an objective scientific frame of mind and don't run too much towards sentimentality (My daughters like to complain about this aspect of my personality). I can be kind of a demanding pain in the ass, as my manager at work can attest.

On the other hand, for my patients, all of my patients, I have the utmost respect. I respect them as unique individuals, capable of making informed decisions. I respect them as the leading experts on their own lives; knowing what works for them and what does not, understanding what's important to them and what is not. I treat the entire person, not just their broken ankle, or their arthritic knee. I believe in the power of empathy. I truly enjoy working with most of my patients, however, I do not have to personally like someone to be empathetic towards them or to treat them with dignity and respect. I try to remember that every one of us humans is doing the best we can, with what we have. We are all just trying to survive and successfully navigate this amazing thing called life.