1) “Thoroughness” is the most desirable characteristic patients want in their doctor.

My take: Sandeep Jauhar finds this to be true when talking to a cardiologist:

A young woman would come in with palpitations. I’d tell her she was fine. But then I realized that she’d just go down the street to another physician and he’d order all the tests anyway: echocardiogram, stress test, Holter monitor “” stuff she didn’t really need. Then she’d go around and tell her friends what a great doctor “” a thorough doctor “” the other cardiologist was.

Doing more, possibly unnecessary, testing is generally perceived as being thorough. American physicians are increasingly being rated and graded, incentivizing doctors to pander to customer service and patient satisfaction over practicing evidence-based medicine.

With thoroughness being the top patient priority, it’s not a stretch to say that many physicians who order unnecessary testing are doing so because that’s what the patients want.

You could Dartmouth Atlas your patients’ ears off, but who’s going to listen?

2) Females are taking exception to being blamed for Canada’s physician shortage.

My take: This is more of a generational, rather than female, phenomenon. Plenty of men want to spend more time with their families, and in general, are working less hours than their predecessors did. As it should be. The days of sacrificing your life for medicine are over.