Does Your Doc Get an A?

July 20, 2010 by Admin
Filed under: In the News

DOCTORS OFTEN SCORE ‘F’ WHEN PATIENT NEEDS INDIVIDUALIZED CARE

A study has shown that although general practitioner medical doctors (MDs) fare well when treating patients with typical symptoms or in need of standard care, they often fail to provide effective treatment for patients with complex symptoms, special needs or different circumstances.

The study was based on 400 visits to MDs in Chicago and Milwaukee by actors posing as patients and given a strict script to follow. The MDs often failed to recognize “biomedical red flags,” indicating significant secondary health issues; and frequently missed “contextual red flags,” important life issues, such as the recent loss of a job and the resultant stress or loss of health insurance.

In biomedically complicated cases, only 22 percent of doctors provided error-free care; in contextually complicated cases, only 28 percent provided error-free care; and where both types of complication existed, only 9 percent of MDs served up error-free care.

The researchers suggested traditional medical education is the problem. This study was published today in the July 20, 2010 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine and is available to read online, with journal subscription at: http://bit.ly/bGV1C6.