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

Doctors need more quiet time

Wes Fisher, MD
Physician
September 19, 2014
966 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

shutterstock_117724435

After you’ve written on a blog for a long time, you begin to ask yourself why.  Oh sure, there are the great opportunities for a single person to make a point, to act as a tiny tugboat trying to push a corporate mothership in a slightly different direction, but you begin to realize that there are very few times that actually happens. You try to provide a voice to issues that are often unheard, then realize that voice is only occasionally appreciated but more often duly noted, then ignored.  This is the nature of Internet and quite frankly, medicine now: It is a world of competing interests.  On one side you have the patients, doing a messy job of getting sick, and corporate health care systems — either government, private, for-profit or non-profit — doing their very best to make sure their illness is neat and tidy, easy to control, perfectly understood, and quantifiable.  To this end, each has their own agendas that must be served, be it another regulation, value-added improvement, or a profit motive to secure the bottom line.

This idea came to me yesterday in clinic.  Increasingly, very microsecond of my day, my week, my weekend has now been efficiently parsed into tiny computerized scheduling chunks.  It doesn’t matter where I work, because like the cloud, location doesn’t matter; schedulers and administrative handlers can reach me, be it by beeper, computer, Outlook email, Epic email, desk phone or my personal iPhone. There are so many places to check for messages that when I don’t respond, the person trying to reach me just moves up the chain of communication options.  Eventually there’s no down time, no time to think, there are few places to go where there is quiet any longer. It’s become life by a thousand interruptions: a big flail.

Increasingly, there’s a push to do away with beepers and move telecommunications in medicine to my personal iPhone.  But I an resisting this because I need to set a boundary between work and my personal life — if for nothing else but self preservation.  We are told this is being done in the name of “security” and “non-secure beeper messages” but I think it’s because people don’t want to wait.  They need their answer now. I really wonder what the evidenced-based data on beeper message hacking is in health care and if more patients were helped or hurt by beeper data breeches.  There’s a better idea, they say: consolidate.  It’s more efficient.  I know, I’m such a Luddite. But to whom do I respond when that head administrator calls on my iPhone as I’m  examining a patient?  How to I separate a Twitter message from an ER message? Does the act of looking at my phone when I’m with a patient engender trust or an appearance of distraction?

It’s hard to argue with security when someone creates a new medical policy.  We all want to be secure.  We all want to know that our most private and personal  medical information is protected from prying eyes.  But quite frankly (and this is very politically incorrect to say) real information security in medicine is a joke.  After all, people’s lives are perfectly encoded on a computer now and eight different billers, coders, insurance company trolls or hospital marketers can delve into that database of information and find specifics about a patient or group of patients with simply the click of a button.  Phishing schemes make a mockery of our passwords.  Seriously, who are we fooling? Let’s be honest: Paper charts housed in a known location behind a locked door were much more secure.

Hurry up.  Click here, click there, “Excuse me,” “Can I have a moment of your time?” “There’s a the 7 a.m. meeting tomorrow,” “What was that Ms. Jones?” “Yes, I’ll try to make it,” “Did you try it unipolar?” “Yes, I’ll check my inbasket,” “You left your addendum open,” “They’re calling for the cardioversion,” “Should we add him in?” “I have to take my board review course, can you take call?” “The ER’s calling,” “Can you check her pacer, too, when you see her?” “Did you sign the EKG?”

Doctors need some quiet, down time, some time to think, to pay attention. We need to create our own boundaries between our personal and professional lives that are respected.  We need to think we can get away, to regroup, have some quiet time for ourselves or with a patient, even for a moment.  And if that means that some of us want to separate work from home by the use of a beeper instead of an iPhone, so be it.

Otherwise, our personal lives will become a big flail, too.

Wes Fisher is a cardiologist who blogs at Dr. Wes.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

6 major myths about health care at home debunked

September 19, 2014 Kevin 2
…
Next

Two women, two cancers, two different pathways

September 19, 2014 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Cardiology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
6 major myths about health care at home debunked
Next Post >
Two women, two cancers, two different pathways

More by Wes Fisher, MD

  • How to help physicians end maintenance of certification nationwide

    Wes Fisher, MD
  • When patients tweet their own heart attacks

    Wes Fisher, MD
  • So you failed maintenance of certification. What now?

    Wes Fisher, MD

More in Physician

  • 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
  • Unmasking the truth: the shocking reality of the opioid epidemic and who’s really to blame

    Jay K. Joshi, MD
  • Discover your true north: Navigating life’s confusions and embracing your path to success

    Tyler Jorgensen, MD
  • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

    Anonymous
  • From journalism to medicine: Unveiling the untold stories of patients’ medical conditions

    Veronica Bonales, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Boxing legends Tyson and Foreman: powerful lessons for a resilient and evolving health care future

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

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

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

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, 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
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • A tense family drama unfolds as a young daughter pursues unconventional career path

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

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Unmasking the truth: the shocking reality of the opioid epidemic and who’s really to blame

      Jay K. Joshi, MD | Physician
    • Discover your true north: Navigating life’s confusions and embracing your path to success

      Tyler Jorgensen, MD | Physician
    • A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | 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 44 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

  • Full-On Reversal of Cardiac Amyloidosis Possible With Antibodies
  • Spell Check-Up: Do You Have the Skills to Pass This Spelling Test?
  • For Some, Sex Is Better Sleep Aid Than Pill, Small Survey Finds
  • Even Healthy People Should Minimize Exposure to Wildfire Smoke, Experts Say
  • Nails or Sliding Hip Screws to Repair Trochanteric Fractures?

Meeting Coverage

  • For Some, Sex Is Better Sleep Aid Than Pill, Small Survey Finds
  • Skipping Radiotherapy 'Seems Safe' for PMBCL Patients in Remission
  • Promising Gene Therapy for Overactive Bladder
  • Shotgun Sequencing of Small Intestine Reveals Species Tied to GI Symptom Severity
  • FGFR Inhibitor Stakes Claim to Post-Anti-PD-1 Role in Advanced Bladder Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Boxing legends Tyson and Foreman: powerful lessons for a resilient and evolving health care future

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

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • The tragic story of Mr. G: a painful journey towards understanding suicide

      William Lynes, MD | Physician
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

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

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, 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
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
    • Proactive risk management: a game-changer in preventing physician burnout

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • A tense family drama unfolds as a young daughter pursues unconventional career path

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

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Unmasking the truth: the shocking reality of the opioid epidemic and who’s really to blame

      Jay K. Joshi, MD | Physician
    • Discover your true north: Navigating life’s confusions and embracing your path to success

      Tyler Jorgensen, MD | Physician
    • A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | 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

Doctors need more quiet time
44 comments

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

Loading Comments...