When physicians commit to medicine, they take the Hippocratic Oath — the promise to practice medicine ethically and to keep patients at the forefront. However, rising healthcare costs are causing some physicians to ponder whether all patient care approaches are necessary.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine by Lisa Rosenbaum, MD, and Daniela Lamas, MD, addresses this issue: the debate of traditional medicine practice versus value- and evidence-based medicine.
The traditional mode of physician thought, according to the article, is to do anything thought to be necessary to treat the patient. Regardless of cost, physicians look at any test or treatment that will restore the patient to optimal health. Today's emphasis on "resource-savvy care" and "cost consciousness" encourages physicians to look at the societal implications of healthcare: Will these treatments ultimately help the patient? Are the treatments rooted in evidence? Will these treatments bankrupt the patient? What are the costs to society?
The authors concluded that traditional medical education versus the new "cost consciousness" method of thinking may only "be a matter of semantics."
"Put simply, helping a patient become well enough to climb the stairs to his apartment is meaningless if our care leaves him unable to afford that apartment," the authors wrote. "Protecting our patients from financial ruin is fundamental to doing no harm."
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine by Lisa Rosenbaum, MD, and Daniela Lamas, MD, addresses this issue: the debate of traditional medicine practice versus value- and evidence-based medicine.
The traditional mode of physician thought, according to the article, is to do anything thought to be necessary to treat the patient. Regardless of cost, physicians look at any test or treatment that will restore the patient to optimal health. Today's emphasis on "resource-savvy care" and "cost consciousness" encourages physicians to look at the societal implications of healthcare: Will these treatments ultimately help the patient? Are the treatments rooted in evidence? Will these treatments bankrupt the patient? What are the costs to society?
The authors concluded that traditional medical education versus the new "cost consciousness" method of thinking may only "be a matter of semantics."
"Put simply, helping a patient become well enough to climb the stairs to his apartment is meaningless if our care leaves him unable to afford that apartment," the authors wrote. "Protecting our patients from financial ruin is fundamental to doing no harm."
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JAMA: 30% Reduction in Medical Training Could Save Healthcare Money