Education

I recently read Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine by John Abramson.  The story of the COX-2 inhibitor, Vioxx, is one of the prime examples used in the book to show how pharmaceutical marketing and publication bias can result in disastrous outcomes for the public.  However, the part of the book that I found most interesting was when…

In a field of medicine such as hand surgery, although some fundamental entities stay the same (pathology, anatomy, etc), there are inevitable changes and advancements as time passes.  Even if the underlying anatomy remains unchanged, a surgical approach may be refined over time to hopefully improve outcomes and minimize time and risk. New technology and implants are constantly being proposed,…

Although internal medicine programs instituted an 80-hour weekly work limit in 1989, the “80-hour” duty hour limit was formally implemented by the ACGME is 2003. The purpose of the limit was to ensure patient safety and reduce medical errors while protecting the safety of residents by preventing burnout and psychological distress.  While there is conflicting data with respect to whether…

At the beginning of each academic year, I attempt to reflect on the education we provide our current trainees.  Teaching styles will vary between attending surgeons in the same way that learning styles differ among residents.  In the short time in which I have been in practice, I have struggled a bit with knowing what might be the most effective…