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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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I'm a doctor. So sue me. No, really
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| Parent(s) |
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| Contributor | Penguin |
| Last Edited | Penguin Oct 28, 2009 12:18am |
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| Category | Opinion |
| Author | Rahul K. Parikh, M.D. |
| News Date | Tuesday, October 27, 2009 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The doctors' lobby says capping malpractice suits will make healthcare cheaper. I'm an M.D. and I don't believe it
Flu season has come early and I'm writing far too many prescriptions for Tamiflu. I'm trying my best to adhere to the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control for who should get the drug (kids under 5 years of age, or kids who have a chronic illness like asthma or diabetes). But in more than a few instances, I've ignored the guidelines and given Tamiflu to perfectly healthy kids with no risk factors for influenza-related complications.
Part of the reason I'm writing so many extra prescriptions stems from stories about healthy people getting sick with H1N1 and ending up critically ill or dead. One of those stories aired recently on "60 Minutes" -- a healthy high school football player in Arkansas developed a fever after a game. He went to his doctor, who thought he had a garden variety flu and sent him home. Two days later, the boy collapsed and was airlifted to the nearest pediatric intensive care unit. He developed a bacterial pneumonia on top of his H1N1 flu, which led to severe damage to his lungs. He couldn't breathe on his own, so he remains in the ICU on a ventilator.
The H1N1 strain of influenza is no more lethal than any other strain of flu. Mortality is less than 1 percent. Nevertheless, by over-prescribing an expensive drug that has only marginal benefits, I'm unequivocally practicing what is known as defensive medicine. As in, the kind of medicine that protects doctors as much as patients. |
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