There's an old saying that is often told to those who are leaning a new skill/trade and that is - when you have a hammer - everything looks like a nail. The concept is simple - if you give a child a hammer suddenly, everything needs pounding. In the adult world - you give someone a trade and suddenly they relate their trade to everything they encounter. Today's topic extends to: when you create an M.D. everyone is a doctor. To get you in the proper mind-set - imagine you have a hardy illness and during your diagnosis and treatments your doctor remains highly efficient and highly capable, but, instead of treating you as a patient in need of help and answers, they relate you back to med school and act as though they are explaining their process to their professor - being blunt, fast-paced, abrasive, and ignoring the layman and treating you like a fellow colleague. Tough to handle, right?
There exists a basic synergy in this world between services and their consumers - where consumers expect service providers to complete their goals in such a way that their requirements are fully met while simultaneously ensuring that our expectations are met in a satisfying manner. Simply put - we want our service with a smile! It's this basic fact that is creating a dividing line within the healthcare system between who is an acceptable doctor compared to who is not.
The general trend within the late 20th and now 21st centuries is that competence, education, track record...etc are taking a back seat when recommendations come around for doctors from patients, as shown on websites such as Angie's List where trades from doctors to roofers and plumbers are graded on the same scales and for the same criteria. Panning through this data there is a trend that the highest rated doctors may not have had the best track record or the highest ranking in class, but they were comforting, caring and straight-forward; essentially they treated the patient with the realization that they (patients) had no idea what was going on and needed very simple but thorough explanations. The doctors that made the best emotional connections with a patient were the ones most likely to be continually recommended. Herein lies the great disconnect.
We often take emotions over efficiency, completeness and correctness. Humans have the need to feel cared about, but, we also expect perfect service. What most people fail to realize is that there are two types of people - ones we want and ones we need. Unfortunately, finding someone who fits both criteria is a rarity and for good reason. Look at those around you - in the media, in the academic system; those who are at the top of their field have the greatest disconnect from those who need them. They have become so encapsulated with what they do that they have trouble relating to the needs of those under them; they only relate to those who speak their language and as such speak their language to everyone.
So, when you are looking for doctors, specialists...so on - what ones will you consider - those with great bed-side manners or those who will cure you without the sunshine smiles? Is sacrificing best treatment worth a few hurt feelings?
Just to clarify, I am not saying great doctors don't exist with the brains, brawn and compassion, but what I want to bring to light as to trends and reasons within the healthcare system. What do you think about today's doctors? Are they meeting your needs to your expectation levels?
Oh - and one last thought - medical providers don't want to 'like' you. When you lost someone close to you - you took it pretty hard right? Imagine if a doctor got to know and like his patients and then had to watch them die - do you think they could continually handle that stress? Could you?
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