Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Not knowing why takes away our power to prevent

Abigail Schildcrout, MD
Physician
January 13, 2014
125 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

I recently went to a visitation at a funeral home for my friend’s daughter. She was 24.

She had had developmental delays and multiple medical issues, but this was not expected and the cause is not known.

My friend is a doctor. A really good one. One with fiercely loyal patients because she is a fierce advocate for them. She is one of those doctors with phenomenal interpersonal insight on top of top-notch clinical skills. Her bedside manner is impeccable.

And now she has to answer the same question from scores of visitors — why? — without an answer. The same way she has to answer her patients’ questions of “why me?” or “why my mother?” or “why my husband?” without an answer.

Sometimes we just don’t have answers. Sometimes we just don’t know why. And not knowing why takes away our power to prevent. That’s why we do research. That’s why we have scientists. Because finding the answers to the “whys” is what gives us the power to figure out the “hows.” How to fix. How to prevent.

Always searching for answers so that we can have some semblance of control. Always looking for reasons so that our world can make sense.

So many doctors get angry when their patients don’t do well. When they can’t find a cause for something. When their treatments don’t work. They can’t tolerate the powerlessness.

Most doctors that I know keep thinking about their patients (or even other people’s patients they hear about) who don’t do well – and keep coming back to “why is this happening?” “what can I do?” and “what should I have done differently?”

These are also questions that parents ask when something is wrong with their children. They reflect a sense of responsibility coupled with a feeling of impotence.

For my friend, herself a beautiful healer, there is a loss and a wound that will never heal. May she someday find peace, even if not answers.

Abigail Schildcrout is founder, Practical Medical Insights, and blogs at DocThoughts.

Prev

Lebron James: The king of junk food

January 13, 2014 Kevin 4
…
Next

Reflections of a new mother in medicine

January 14, 2014 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Lebron James: The king of junk food
Next Post >
Reflections of a new mother in medicine

More by Abigail Schildcrout, MD

  • We have the same end-goals, but disagree on how to reach them

    Abigail Schildcrout, MD
  • A physician’s poignant election thoughts

    Abigail Schildcrout, MD
  • My job as a doctor is to take data and apply it to real people

    Abigail Schildcrout, MD

More in Physician

  • How excessively regulating doctors can harm patients

    Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD and James Lynch, MD
  • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

    Hayward Zwerling, MD
  • Unveiling the secrets to effective resuscitation and overcoming obstacles

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • A tense family drama unfolds as a young daughter pursues unconventional career path

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Decoding the brain’s decision-making: insights for medical professions and strategies for success

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How excessively regulating doctors can harm patients

      Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD and James Lynch, MD | Physician
    • AI-driven solutions for burnout, patient empathy, and worker shortage

      Harry Severance, MD | Tech
    • How modern lifestyle changes are disrupting our immune systems

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Physician
    • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

      Hayward Zwerling, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 2 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Video of Stem Cell Injection Alarms Doctors
  • Risankizumab Safe in Older Crohn's Disease Patients
  • How to Better Identify HER2-Low Breast Cancer
  • Daylong N95 Masking Alters Heart Rate, Respiration
  • 9 Deaths in Bacterial Outbreak; Heart Attacks During Lockdown; SCOTUS Saves Medicaid

Meeting Coverage

  • Risankizumab Safe in Older Crohn's Disease Patients
  • How to Better Identify HER2-Low Breast Cancer
  • Higher Fetal Cortisol Levels Linked to Sleep Onset Delays
  • Novel LAA Closure Device 'Promising'
  • TTFields Therapy Yields OS Improvement in Second-Line NSCLC
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Georgia’s new law promoting truth and transparency in health care credentials

      Carmen Kavali, MD | Policy
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • The hidden factor in physician burnout: How the climate crisis is contributing to the erosion of well-being

      Elizabeth Cerceo, MD | Physician
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How excessively regulating doctors can harm patients

      Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD and James Lynch, MD | Physician
    • AI-driven solutions for burnout, patient empathy, and worker shortage

      Harry Severance, MD | Tech
    • How modern lifestyle changes are disrupting our immune systems

      Kara Wada, MD | Conditions
    • Empathy and awareness: Unveiling the hidden dangers of food allergies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The alarming epidemic of physician burnout and how we can combat it

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Physician
    • A retired physician’s battle with moral injury

      Hayward Zwerling, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Not knowing why takes away our power to prevent
2 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...