October 14, 2011
The Connecticut Post
The New York Times in its October 11 issue published an article “An Innovator Shapes an Empire” which mentioned Dr. Desmond-Hellman’s ideas for changing medical school education by customizing medical education so that students can tailor their education to the communities they may be serving.
As chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco, her comments about “customization” of medical education are important. Most medical schools and residencies have a standardized program that imposes on physicians what they deem appropriate. This model is reinforced by certifying boards that pressure physicians to undergo periodic “one size fits all” exams that test them on information that often is irrelevant to what they actually need to know in their individual practices.
For example, primary care doctors practicing in cosmopolitan areas that have a large number of specialists in the community need a different set of skills than primary care doctors practicing in low-income neighborhoods or in rural communities. The problems in all three of these venues are different and require different skill sets.
Customizing the way doctors are trained, especially primary care doctors has great potential to improve the way health care is delivered because often they are the first access point for patients in to the health system. And they also have first-hand knowledge of the social and economic problems that make good medical care difficult for many patients.
Edward J. Volpintesta MD
Fewer patients struggle with medical debt
19 hours ago
I agree that it is really important to custom tailor to the communities and families and create strict guidelines accordingly even if it is against your ideas.
ReplyDelete-For example, there are communities who consider foods to have the utmost spiritual significance. One case comes to mind where a women let her child die rather that give her animal products. By paying attention carefully the physician and parents could have come up with alternative plant based solutions and saved a young life
-In some cultures, communities, families... same gender attendees are critically important to the patient. In these and other cases the women (or man), for example, has the right to strictly demand same gender attendees at all levels, including, but not limited to physicians, nurses, sales persons, students,residents fellows, ...Some folks demand that this be written in charts and at least one CT surgery center is making it standard practice that ALL attendees are same gender. In some cases a patient may make a request for opposite gender participants in writing only.
Some places are putting these types of remarks on charts...and following similar practices concerning respecting patient wishes and not making assumptions about what is OK in the patients view.
Customization in training can prove to be beneficial, especially for doctors who needs to specialize in specific fields.
ReplyDeleteI guess it is just right because it would definitely mean a lot of difference in the field of medicine.
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