Quote of the day

[med_cat]

"Medicine used to be simple, ineffective, and relatively safe...now it is complex, effective, and potentially dangerous."

(Sir Cyril Chantler)

Comments

[hhimring]

I can see the point he is making!
But like any such generalization, the opposite can be said to be true as well, to some extent. I suppose he is implying that most patients killed by earlier medicine would have died anyway?

[med_cat]

Mhm, yes, and I think there's more to this...can expand upon it if you're interested...let me know.

[hhimring]

Thank you! I've read your responses to browngirl below.

[med_cat]

You're welcome :)

[browngirl]

My reaction was pretty similar to yours. I'm not sure trepanation, or untreated fistulas, or mercury, or otc laudanum, or so many other things count as 'relatively safe'. (But I tend to be grumpy about nostalgia for reasons I will not go into at this time.)

[med_cat]

Yes...but this is not nostalgia. I think it is a matter of providing context for the quote; which I can provide if you would like?

[browngirl]

Absolutively! I'd love to know more context about this specific quote AND I always love it and learn from it when you post about medicine. *waits attentively*

[med_cat]

Thank you for your kind words :) I am glad if you have found my medicine and nursing-themed posts informative and relevant.

A bit of context, then: the quote was on one of the slides for the webinar from the AACN (American Association of Critical Care Nurses), titled "Support for the Second Victim: Caring for Our Own".

(Support the Second Victim: Health professionals suffer distress after poor patient outcomes, even if no error occurred.)

So.

Additionally, the current medical and technological advancements produce their own ethical dilemmas: just because you _can_ treat something, does that mean you _should_? and what is the value of quality vs. quantity of life?

[browngirl]

That is definitely important context. I listen quite a bit to can/should debates over treatment at work, including but not limited to DNR/DNIs .

*edified, contemplates*

[med_cat]

Mhm, it goes further than DNR/DNI/AND...

...have you read Atul Gawande's "Being Mortal"? If not, I think you might find it of interest...