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Sir:
Doctor Oliver’s reflections point out an important issue of medicine: what’s a doctor's duty? To make a diagnosis and prescribe a therapy for each specific disease or take care of each patient as a “whole”?
Modern medicine is mostly made of highly technical exams, and overspecialization is a rule to anyone who wants to have a brilliant career. This approach is mainly due to the modern concept of the “patient-doctor” relationship: a contract strictly dealing with a specific problem and its solution. I would not return to the old “paternalistic” way - I know what is better for you and I’ll take care of you and act in your interest - but an approach more centered on the patient’s life rather than on the patient’s health would greatly improve the quality of modern medicine.
“I just save lives” declare many specialists with false modesty, not caring what happens to patients after. A rehabilitator is in some way a second class doctor, as he should not make diagnoses and usually is thought to prescribe just “gymnastics”. This is false in many ways! The specialist in rehabilitation deals with people, not with diseases and takes care of patients for a much longer time than other specialists, sometimes recognizing less evident health problems and always helping in solving daily problems as home organization, hygiene, independence in ADL, return to work.
Doctor Oliver’s idea of a period of training in rehabilitation for all doctors is a very good one, as they would eventually understand that maybe “1° class” doctors save lives, but “2° class” doctors make that life worthwhile.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
21 January 2016
Claudio Crisci
Neurorehabilitator
Clinic Center- Private Hospital for Rehabilitation
Re: David Oliver: Rehabilitation is part of medicine
Sir:
Doctor Oliver’s reflections point out an important issue of medicine: what’s a doctor's duty? To make a diagnosis and prescribe a therapy for each specific disease or take care of each patient as a “whole”?
Modern medicine is mostly made of highly technical exams, and overspecialization is a rule to anyone who wants to have a brilliant career. This approach is mainly due to the modern concept of the “patient-doctor” relationship: a contract strictly dealing with a specific problem and its solution. I would not return to the old “paternalistic” way - I know what is better for you and I’ll take care of you and act in your interest - but an approach more centered on the patient’s life rather than on the patient’s health would greatly improve the quality of modern medicine.
“I just save lives” declare many specialists with false modesty, not caring what happens to patients after. A rehabilitator is in some way a second class doctor, as he should not make diagnoses and usually is thought to prescribe just “gymnastics”. This is false in many ways! The specialist in rehabilitation deals with people, not with diseases and takes care of patients for a much longer time than other specialists, sometimes recognizing less evident health problems and always helping in solving daily problems as home organization, hygiene, independence in ADL, return to work.
Doctor Oliver’s idea of a period of training in rehabilitation for all doctors is a very good one, as they would eventually understand that maybe “1° class” doctors save lives, but “2° class” doctors make that life worthwhile.
Competing interests: No competing interests