House rules
That would be “House” as in Gregory House M.D. (at right), the cynical, obnoxious, and arrogant lead character of the mega-hit TV show. Apparently, there are too many real doctors like him out there.
Hospital staff surveys indicate that low morale and staff turnover are sometimes attributable to abusive behaviour by doctors.
Recent studies suggest that such behavior contributes to medical mistakes, preventable complications and even death.
[…]
A survey of health care workers at 102 nonprofit hospitals from 2004 to 2007 found that 67 percent of respondents said they thought there was a link between disruptive behavior and medical mistakes, and 18 percent said they knew of a mistake that occurred because of an obnoxious doctor. (The author was Dr. Alan Rosenstein, medical director for the West Coast region of VHA Inc., an alliance of nonprofit hospitals.)Another survey by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a nonprofit organization, found that 40 percent of hospital staff members reported having been so intimidated by a doctor that they did not share their concerns about orders for medication that appeared to be incorrect. As a result, 7 percent said they contributed to a medication error.
I am a regular viewer of House MD, but I find the mystery medical ailments far more engaging than House himself. The character is perversely fascinating; watching him is like watching a train wreck every week. The man’s treatment of his “team” of doctors is a textbook example of a toxic workplace environment. I pity anyone—patient, nurse, or physician—who has to deal with a doctor like that in real life.
Why do some doctors behave so badly? Dr. William A. Norcross, director of a program at the University of California, San Diego, that offers anger management for physicians, thinks it’s the way they’re trained.
Dr. Norcross blamed “the brutal training surgeons get, the long hours, being belittled and ‘pimped’ ” — a term for being bombarded with questions to the point of looking stupid. “That whole structure teaches a disruptive behavior,” he said.
House does exactly that several times each week.
Despite that, I still love the show.
h/t: TitusOneNine