Disruptive Men in Health Care

One of my favorite blogs, Disruptive Women in Healthcare, at which I frequently lurk quietly stalking those ladies who are assertive, bright, imaginative, charming ( I have to throw that in) and articulate.

Here is the new blog, DISRUPTIVE MEN IN HEALTH CARE. Perhaps I should name it "Disruptive Persons in HealthCare. In the last several years we have a new culture of 'anger management' in which surgeons, and doctors are not allowed to yell, be polite at all costs, and tolerate dangerous or risky behavior. This will be a forum for polite expressions of our displeasure with the system.

Ezekiel Manuel: One of the advisory panel which developed the
Affordable Care Act.



Male and female physicians are accused of being disruptive when their authority is questioned or an order ignored. I am a bit old fashioned, however a brief admonition is within the scope of human relationships. As a physicians' role is minimized and their duty to protect and treat patients is obstructed by well meaning but uninformed para-medical personell, many physicians approach the breaking point of patience.

In a Medscape article  this topic "Are Doctors Arrogant"?  by Leslie Kane, Editor, is addressed with, Good Doctors Have Some Bad Moments . 

Some doctors have admitted that at times it's hard to maintain their patience, and frustration triggers a snappish response. Throw into the mix the fact that doctors may have less time to see each patient and answer questions, and you have the ingredients for a negative interaction. 

Therapeutic Talk in Primary Care, and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Family Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "Someone who has done the hard work and has gone into medicine because they care about people, and are interested in helping peoples' lives and making the world a better place, is not going to be arrogant."

So how did the arrogant doctor epithet arise?
In the past, doctors were considered authorities who told compliant patients what to do and treated them with a paternalistic attitude. Some doctors may retain those behaviors today.

Arrogance or Self-confidence?

"Arrogance is totally different from self-confidence," says Dr. Stuart. "When you're confident, that's your assessment of your own competence. You have the experience and the wisdom, you know what you can do, and your confidence says that. It's your relationship to yourself and your own expertise,

Arrogance is a different ballgame. "This has to do with your judging that other people are inferior," she says. "It has more to do with not seeing other people as being up to your standards."

Could the confidence that comes with being accomplished and successful make someone arrogant? Typically no, says Dr. Stuart. The trait of arrogance develops or resides within a person at a much earlier stage, arising from one of two paths: "I am indeed better." Someone who has always lived a privileged life, feels entitled to all of the finer things, or has always been looked up to may take it as a given that he or she is better than others. "People who had a sheltered, protected existence with no perception of what the real world is like for other people may consider themselves an elite group, entitled to feel superior," says Dr. Stuart."I made it, so why can't you?" By contrast, a person who was deprived as a child and worked very hard to pull himself up by the bootstraps may then look down on others who don't have the same perseverance or initiative to take charge of their life and create similar success.

"Professionalism is not about putting on a happy face or being someone you are not; it is about providing quality care for the patient," says Dr. Adler. "Patients are more informed and have access to more information than ever before. Much of that information is incorrect and sometimes harmful. That means that part of the professional duty is to teach as well as treat. Still, remaining pleasant and calm is easier for some doctors than for others. There's no uniform physician personality; many doctors have a natural "people person" inclination, while others are more stoic.

I will be inviting and encouraging guests to add their own positive remarks, and/or negative observations regarding health care, policy makers, and the insertion of ' personality '  into daily medical business.

Comment if you are willing to express your opinions, without regard to political correctness, however profanity is not welcome.