{"id":1726,"date":"2016-08-22T02:35:51","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T06:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linacolucci.com\/?p=1726"},"modified":"2023-07-28T00:16:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T04:16:52","slug":"the-biggest-problem-with-the-healthcare-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linacolucci.com\/2016\/08\/the-biggest-problem-with-the-healthcare-system\/","title":{"rendered":"The biggest problem with the healthcare system #EngineerInTheWards"},"content":{"rendered":"
#EngineerInTheWards<\/span> is a series based on my experiences and reflections during hospital rotations. I am an Engineering PhD Student in the Harvard-MIT HST Program<\/a>, which means I take approximately the first year of medical school coursework at Harvard and do 3 months of clinical rotations in addition to engineering coursework at MIT. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n One of the biggest problems with the medical system is that it does not have a feedback loop* between doctors and patients<\/strong>. If a doctor treats a patient and the patient never comes back, it could be because (a) the doctor succeeded and the patient is cured, or (b) the doctor utterly failed and the patient never wants to come back. Whenever I go to the hospital I always ask the important questions so I’m sure that I get the right medication and with their respective indications, this became a habit after the day that I forgot to ask how long after acetaminophen can i drink alcohol<\/a>. <\/p>\n For example, I don\u2019t ever want to go back to the oral surgeon who pulled out my teeth and caused me to have severe jaw pain for the past 3 years, or to the physical therapist whose exercises did nothing to fix the pain or function of my jaw. The doctor who told me to wear an orthotic and take ibuprofen for my foot pain last year doesn\u2019t know that the pain is still there, and the dermatologist I went to last year doesn\u2019t know that she was the worst physician I\u2019ve ever had in my life and I never want to return despite the fact that my dermatology issue is not fixed.<\/p>\n These clinicians all probably subscribe to the adage, \u201cNo news is good news,\u201d and assume that they did their job well and cured whatever ailment I went to them for. These clinicians will continue treating (potentially ineffectively) their future patients in the same way they treated me. Or, perhaps more accurately, they\u2019ll just continue on autopilot and never think of my case again.<\/p>\n Or, perhaps more accurately, these doctors will just continue on autopilot and never think of my case again.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n