Dr. Atul Gawande’s article, “Overkill”, describes the harms of overtreatment and over testing to not only the patients, but the US health care system as well. He utilizes patient’s stories, his own personal stories, and expert analysis to inform the readers that the health care system is overdoing tests, over diagnosing, and performing procedures that are extremely expensive, but in the end does not improve the patient’s condition. Dr. Gawande’s argument is that the US health care system is engaging in expensive, unnecessary medical care when they should be adopting a slow medicine philosophy. Dr. Gawande did an excellent job convincing me that his argument was valid. He provided hard data and policy analysis to show the “overkill” of medical
care that is currently happening in the US health care system. According to the article, there “was a study of more than a million Medicare patients. It suggested that a huge proportion had received care that was simply a waste. Millions of people are receiving drugs that aren’t helping them, operations that aren’t going to make them better, and scans and tests that do nothing beneficial for them, and often cause harm.” Dr. Gawande wrote that the study found that twenty-five to forty-two percent of Medicare patients received at least one of the twenty-six tests and treatments that were deemed to have no benefit and could be harmful by scientific and professional organizations. The analogies he uses in his article make it easily understandable and relatable allowing the reader to align the author’s views with their own views. I especially liked the one he used comparing cancers to turtles, birds, and rabbits. I can relate to the argument Dr. Gawande is bringing forth. I have seen the multitude of tests performed on patients, with results that didn’t help with their diagnosis or condition. I don’t feel that Dr. Gawande expects readers to simply agree with him. He presents both sides of the argument. Even he himself has admitted he is guilty of overtreatment, by operating on Mrs. E. His opinions are clearly explained and supported with evidence from experts.
Chasing Zero is a documentary which was meant to both educate the viewer on the prevalence of medical harm as well as to enlighten both the public and health care providers on the preventability of these events (Discovery, 2010). The documentary expounded on the fact each year more people die each year from a preventable medical error than die due to breast cancer, motor vehicle accidents or AIDS (Institute of Medicine, 1999). Medical harm can result from adverse drug events, surgical injuries, wrong-site surgery, suicides, restraint-related injuries, falls, burns, pressure ulcers and mistaken patient identities (Institute of Medicine, 1999). Incidences of medical error have been reported in the media for many years. The most startling revelation in the documentary is how common medical errors are and how preventable they are.
The needs of 30 million additional patients cannot be met by the current system. Many opponents contend that it is not a sustainable answer to the health care crisis in America.
Carol finishes her story with a plea for a better communication among the different healthcare providers and the system in general. There is no perfect system, and health care, the system that constantly evolves, deals with life and death, and employs people to fill such diverse niches is probably the most complex of them all, the most difficult to assess, comprehend, and change. As big, complex, and sometimes scary as it seems, it can be changed: talking to a colleague, taking a moment and asking a patient’s opinion. “Be the change you wish to see in the world”, said Gandhi. This is my motto.
Tensely watching his patient, the experienced doctor feverishly checked his phone for confirmation to begin the surgery. Aware that the radioactive tracer he injected into his patient was rapidly decimating he wondered how he could have prevented this situation. Could he have been more careful when to inject the material? Could he have picked a better date for the operation? Atul Gawande found himself questioning his ability as a medical care provider. All humans make mistakes, however in a profession where human lives are at stake mistakes are unacceptable. The chase for perfection has allured humans since the beginning of time, whether an athlete, politician or doctor, perfection has long been sought after. Yet, after so much time have humans gotten any closer to improving their performance, or has their obsession with perfection blinded them?
With congress passing ObamaCare last year we are taking baby steps towards a health system overhaul we so desperately need. The skeptics, though, still argue against it, citing the costs as too much or that it’s un-american. Health care is a basic need for everyone, and as such should be right protected and provided for by the government. There are great, economic, moral, and social benefits to be reaped, and so it is important for our government to continue down this path its started and also important for Americans to provide our full support. There is much to overcome to completely reverse the direction of the health system, and I’m sure it will take many years for the results to pay off, but I’m glad we’ve at least provided the groundwork for future generations to build
The medical field is designed to save lives and this article “No Risky Chances,” by Author Atul Gawande’s published in the online magazine Slate, reminds medical professionals one very important thing that there is no risky chances my determining treatment options, professionals need to consider options, professionals need to consider options, professionals need to consider options that are aligned with the patients personal choice which can range from maintaining life by any means necessary to continued comfort until death. Either way it is important for medical staff to be trained not only in saving life’s but also in preparing for patient death.
Rising medical costs are a worldwide problem, but nowhere are they higher than in the U.S. Although Americans with good health insurance coverage may get the best medical treatment in the world, the health of the average American, as measured by life expectancy and infant mortality, is below the average of other major industrial countries. Inefficiency, fraud and the expense of malpractice suits are often blamed for high U.S. costs, but the major reason is overinvestment in technology and personnel.
Another major medical malpractice problem is the unnecessary procedures being ordered. The malpractice insurers have recommended women to have yearly mammograms. These mammograms cover the cost of lawsuits for late diagnoses of breast cancer but not the health risks the mammograms present (Avraham, 2011). Fear is also a problem in the malpractice realm. This results in more tests and procedures. Doctors that have been practicing for over five years order more tests to lessen the risk of misdiagnosing and the lawsuits that may come the physician’s way (Marchione, 2011). During the research, Marchione presented this statistic: one fifth of tests bone and joint specialists order are promoted by the fear of being sued (2011). The best care is important to patients. The patient values his doctor prescribing the most effective tests and beneficial ...
There will always be this controversy over things that cannot be proven; as always there are many opinions about healthcare. The biggest debate lies in the question if healthcare is considered a right or a privilege? If health care was a universal right, health care would not be the number one cause of bankruptcy. In the United States statistics, data, and experience shows health Care is offered to us as a privilege.
People trust their physicians to know how to diagnose what is wrong with them using diagnostic skills which include patient interview, medical tests and physical observation. We have become accustomed the mindset that there is a pill to fix what is making US feel bad. Doctors in the United States of America a lot less than 20 minutes for each patient, and this time most people would never think to ask the physician if there is more than one way to treat their illness. In fact most people do not ask their physician any questions at all. They believe the physician has there been interesting at heart and take his word with blind faith. It is come to light lately in the world news media that best can be a very dangerous precedent in fact it can cost you your life.
With the United States government spending 3.3 trillion dollars, or approximately $10,000 per person, this far exceeds any other controls budget for healthcare. One would assume that the overall quality of health care in the United States would be excellent. That assumption would often be incorrect. Even with the CMS enacting many hopeful protocols and programs for quality assurance the US is still falling short. One of the easiest ways to analyze the United States shortcomings and accolades would be to examine the CMS’s clinical quality measures and how the U.S. is meeting or not meeting measures.
Foremost, as stated, the conception of what is the best health care system is entirely subjective. It is a question that can never truly be answered correctly by any person. While one person may believe that a certain health care system is the best, another may contend for an opposing health care system. While favorability of a particular system is subjective, the overall efficiency of a system is one that a person can develop a greater understanding of by looking at the proponents of a system. The aforementioned proponents of accessibility, costs and overall quality allow for a sterner declaration of what health care system is the most efficient overall, or which is the “best”. These three proponents are significant as they are the main actors in shaping how a health care system operates. As a result, these three proponents also have a significant impact on all people and their health. If health care is not accessible or costs so much that a person cannot afford it, then one’s health has the potential to deteriorate. As for quality, the notion is vital in that one’s health care system will not be effective if the services provided are not standard. Consequently, one should carefully examine these proponents of a health care system in order to make an educated determination on which system is overall the most effective.
Technology causes a delay in diagnosis due to the lack of physical examinations done by the patient’s physicians, therefore returning to the traditional bedside manner will be beneficial to the patient. Abraham Verghese, Blake Charlton, Jerome P. Kassirer, Mehgan Ramsey, and John P.A. Ioannidis were the authors of the research study titled “Inadequacies of Physical Examination as a Cause of Medical Errors and Adverse Events: A Collection of Vignettes.” In this study, Verghese et al discussed how physical examination in patients has been lacking in many hospitals. Therefore, this study was conducted for physicians to describe their failures of patient intervention, especially in physical examination and its consequences. According to the study,
Over the course of many centuries, medical technology has developed to a great extent. Studies show that recent equipment has evolved more in the last ten to twenty years than in the past thousand years. Before human time, people learned to treat themselves by just using natural substances. Now-a-days, our hi-tech systems in the medical field have been created for the most effective tools for a high level of patient care. While they advance the tools, it will then allow for quicker diagnosis, less pain, and fewer costs, which in the end will help save more lives. Some people are accepting that modern technology can buy them more time to live while others might find it quite alarming because they fear they have a loss of control. In places like hospitals, nursing homes, and households, patients and doctors are using this technology all the time. Unfortunately, not always is the equipment going to be successful to patient care; there could be a few cases where something could go wrong.
Diagnosis and treatment were once viewed as medical processes that required assistance from a professional doctor but has now changed into actions that can be easily completed independently. Not only has this new culture seemingly removed doctors from health care, but it has also exposed the doubt that Americans have on authorities. Today, authorities are not viewed as knowledgeable and helpful human beings, but are rather described as people who commit small, unforgiving mistakes and are capable of hurting others. The aggressive attitudes of anti-authoritarians have not made them seem more superior than authorities but has only given Americans a cowardly