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

When physicians are complicit

Ann Colbert, MD, MPH
Physician
November 4, 2019
Share
Tweet
Share

The other day I asked myself why do I focus my attention on immigrants when there are plenty of other underserved and neglected populations.  When an opioid crisis surrounds me, why do I speak of a crisis at the border?  When structural and overt racism contributes to an infant mortality rate of 10.97 for black women’s babies, twice the rate for the nation as a whole.  When only 18 states have banned “conversion therapy” for minors who question their heterosexuality or binary genders.

After a lot of thought, I decided that working at the border was a response to a blatant injustice conducted by my country. The changing rules for entry, the biased system, inhumane conditions.  We are not treating people from other countries fairly.  As a citizen of the United States, I am complicit with these actions.  Injustice – not treating people equally.  I feel responsible for our wrong approach in dealing with persons fleeing conditions in their homelands.  And, I am affiliated with this group called the US by geography, heritage, and history.  Factors with which I had little choice in deciding.

So, why don’t I feel this same affiliation with the group defined as physicians?  A group I did choose, in a way.  Though race, wealth, exposure, location, and history contributed to my becoming a doctor in no less a random manner than my being born a citizen of the US.

Why not the same sense of responsibility for injustices perpetrated by my own profession?  I have not tirelessly responded to correct the damage caused by prescribing opioids as I have to immigration.  Instead, I stand to the side.  Silently arguing that my prescribing practices were without fault.  I am not to blame. Mildly irritated at new urine drug screen requirements.  Cringing at the thought of becoming an addiction medicine specialist.

What else am I complicit with as a practicing physician? What problem, what health hazards do I ignore?  Yesterday, I renewed someone’s proton pump inhibitor knowing that he shouldn’t be on it for so long.  Another patient was using a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory nearly every day.  My spoken advice was to stop or cut back, try an alternative, but in the end, I excused my inability to change those patient’s behaviors by attributing it to “individual choice.”  As many people say,” he drank, smoked, ate himself to death.”  But, as doctors, do we give up too easily?  Shouldn’t I take responsibility for that?

It is an injustice. Because some people are treated differently than others.  Even as physicians, we treat ourselves (intentionally or not ) better than our patients.  About a decade ago, I purchased long term care insurance.  The salesman had a special extremely low premium for doctors.  He said actuarially, we are healthier and live longer.  Access to care, high medical literacy, and better socio-economic factors certainly contribute to these outcomes.  But why am I not rallying against that discrepancy?

I feel more responsibility for the remote actions of a group I am only randomly affiliated with. And less culpability for those I could really be held accountable for.  Similarly, my degree of affiliation is indirectly proportional to my actual contribution to an injustice. Something to think about.

Ann Colbert is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Why primary care will soon only treat chronic conditions

November 4, 2019 Kevin 5
…
Next

The doctors guide to making a good real estate offer

November 4, 2019 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Primary Care, Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Why primary care will soon only treat chronic conditions
Next Post >
The doctors guide to making a good real estate offer

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Ann Colbert, MD, MPH

  • What it’s really like to be a doctor on the border

    Ann Colbert, MD, MPH

Related Posts

  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media

    Valerie A. Jones, MD
  • When physicians are cyberbullied: an interview with ZDoggMD

    Monique Tello, MD
  • Surprising and unlikely rewards of social media engagement by physicians

    Lisa Chan, MD
  • Physicians who don’t play the social media game may be left behind

    Xrayvsn, MD

More in Physician

  • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

    Ryan McCarthy, MD
  • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

    Donald J. Murphy, MD
  • When service doesn’t mean another certification

    Maureen Gibbons, MD
  • Why so many physicians struggle to feel proud—even when they should

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • If I had to choose: Choosing the patient over the protocol

    Patrick Hudson, MD
  • How a TV drama exposed the hidden grief of doctors

    Lauren Weintraub, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech

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 4 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

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How blockchain could rescue nursing home patients from deadly miscommunication

      Adwait Chafale | Tech

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

When physicians are complicit
4 comments

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

Loading Comments...