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Have worked with many poor communicators and outright idiots but there is virtually no one graduating a decent medical school with native speaker skills that ca

by bohner 3y ago

Have worked with many poor communicators and outright idiots but there is virtually no one graduating a decent medical school with native speaker skills that cant explain in simple terms why giving more fluids to someone that is overloaded with fluid is a bad idea (oh and without using any jargon like edema or diuresis, another thing missing in this whole farce, any 1st year let alone decent attending will explain clearly and simply what is being done. you’re not giving fluids then what the fuck is your plan doctor?). I’ve yet to meet the combo of poor communicator/idiot that would believe reading a canned “empathy” script would somehow be helpful. Seriously is there anyone here that would feel confident in their doctor if they came reading a plan off a sheet like a teleprompter? This guy is trying too hard and assumes most of his audience won’t realize how idiotic this sounds.

dkarras 3y ago
You can explain it in simple terms. Does not mean they'll listen or agree. Some people just want to feel validated, and they need it repeatedly.
williamcotton 3y ago
It only sounds idiotic with sufficient levels of cynicism coupled with a lack of empathy. Two years ago I rushed to the ER suffering from pulmonary edema caused by misdiagnosed endocarditis which required emergency open-heart surgery. The most qualified of the surgeons were very terse and very busy with, you know, prying people’s rib cages open and such. Do the math and think about what else the ER could have been dealing with at that time…
Spooky23 3y ago
Reading the story really belies the real issue - he’s an important doctor guy who is too busy to help a couple of 70 somethings understand what he knows. I say that both in the cyclical “what an asshole” sense and in a real sense - there’s a guy having a stroke 4 bays over. That’s a sort of paradox of medicine. I think the canned script will be handed to a less important PA or NP who will use it as a conversation guide.
licebmi__at__ 3y ago
I disagree with the first part, mostly because I believe doctor-speak is a skill medical professionals use to deal with patients which in their desperation, think they know more than they do. Yet I fully agree with the second paragraph. The idea of the teleprompter doctor working is so absurd it would be rejected immediately if not because chatgpt hype.
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  The teleprompter bit makes no sense. Do you feel less confident in your doctor after learning that any kind of serious treatment usually involves a checklist? Following a script isn't a sign of lacking skills - it's a sign of being wise enough to recognize human limitations. Medical care isn't improv comedy.
  - Spooky23 3y ago
    You’re assuming it’s used as a teleprompter. More likely it’s a conversation guide.
  - licebmi__at__ 3y ago
    I’m not claiming a lack of skill. I’m calling bullshit on the scenario where a distressed family member which is low key claiming you’re mishandling the patient is suddenly calmed when confronted by a doctor that is reading a script filled with claims of empathy and care.
  - epcoa 3y ago
    Looking at notes or a paper is one thing and checklists and timeouts serve an important role in safety, but being unable to hold a conversation about a fundamental concept without a script is quite another, and it is lacking a skill by definition.
    - TeMPOraL 3y ago
      Really depends on the situation. I have no doubts a typical doctor could easily ELI5[0] you anything about the procedures or treatments they're administering - once well fed, well rested, and somewhat relaxed. But if you're catching them as they're overworked and asking them to context-switch on the spot, well... I'd expect it work just as well as it would with software engineers. That is, if I was subject to random ELI5 requests during a busy work period, you'd bet I'd start preparing notes up front (and probably put them on a Wiki, and then give the people asking me a link to that wiki, and politely tell them to RTFM and GTFO). -- [0] - "Explain Like I'm 5 [years old]". It's Reddit-speak, but describes the concept quite well, and there isn't a proper single word alternative for it.

by bohner 3y ago

dkarras 3y ago

You can explain it in simple terms. Does not mean they'll listen or agree. Some people just want to feel validated, and they need it repeatedly.

williamcotton 3y ago

It only sounds idiotic with sufficient levels of cynicism coupled with a lack of empathy. Two years ago I rushed to the ER suffering from pulmonary edema caused by misdiagnosed endocarditis which required emergency open-heart surgery. The most qualified of the surgeons were very terse and very busy with, you know, prying people’s rib cages open and such. Do the math and think about what else the ER could have been dealing with at that time…

Spooky23 3y ago

Reading the story really belies the real issue - he’s an important doctor guy who is too busy to help a couple of 70 somethings understand what he knows. I say that both in the cyclical “what an asshole” sense and in a real sense - there’s a guy having a stroke 4 bays over. That’s a sort of paradox of medicine. I think the canned script will be handed to a less important PA or NP who will use it as a conversation guide.

licebmi__at__ 3y ago

I disagree with the first part, mostly because I believe doctor-speak is a skill medical professionals use to deal with patients which in their desperation, think they know more than they do. Yet I fully agree with the second paragraph. The idea of the teleprompter doctor working is so absurd it would be rejected immediately if not because chatgpt hype.

TeMPOraL 3y ago
The teleprompter bit makes no sense. Do you feel less confident in your doctor after learning that any kind of serious treatment usually involves a checklist? Following a script isn't a sign of lacking skills - it's a sign of being wise enough to recognize human limitations. Medical care isn't improv comedy.
- Spooky23 3y ago
  You’re assuming it’s used as a teleprompter. More likely it’s a conversation guide.
- licebmi__at__ 3y ago
  I’m not claiming a lack of skill. I’m calling bullshit on the scenario where a distressed family member which is low key claiming you’re mishandling the patient is suddenly calmed when confronted by a doctor that is reading a script filled with claims of empathy and care.
- epcoa 3y ago
  Looking at notes or a paper is one thing and checklists and timeouts serve an important role in safety, but being unable to hold a conversation about a fundamental concept without a script is quite another, and it is lacking a skill by definition.
  - TeMPOraL 3y ago
    Really depends on the situation. I have no doubts a typical doctor could easily ELI5[0] you anything about the procedures or treatments they're administering - once well fed, well rested, and somewhat relaxed. But if you're catching them as they're overworked and asking them to context-switch on the spot, well... I'd expect it work just as well as it would with software engineers. That is, if I was subject to random ELI5 requests during a busy work period, you'd bet I'd start preparing notes up front (and probably put them on a Wiki, and then give the people asking me a link to that wiki, and politely tell them to RTFM and GTFO). -- [0] - "Explain Like I'm 5 [years old]". It's Reddit-speak, but describes the concept quite well, and there isn't a proper single word alternative for it.