Polls are open

by Rob on January 23, 2008 · 28 comments

in Uncategorized

Here is a question to my millions of readers:
What do you think has a bigger impact on visits to the doctor’s office:

  1. Human Frailty
  2. Human Stupidity

They are both cause for great job security for doctors.  I guess it would depend on the area of training.  I am in primary care and I have my thoughts on the issue.

I am Dr. Rob and I endorse the contents of this blog post.

This material, written by me, is free to re-post and share under the Creative Commons agreement. In other words, use it all you want; just give me credit.
  • Amanda

    Nice to see you back. I would go with 85% frailty, and 15% stupid. Based on the number of trips I’ve made to get beads out of my children’s noses versus trips for ear aches and well child check ups. One child to an ENT Doctor to be strapped to a board and the other to the pediatrician who got my younger son to sneeze. I blame myself for allowing small beads around curious children. I’m sure your statistical analysis is much more interesting than mine.

  • Amanda

    Nice to see you back. I would go with 85% frailty, and 15% stupid. Based on the number of trips I’ve made to get beads out of my children’s noses versus trips for ear aches and well child check ups. One child to an ENT Doctor to be strapped to a board and the other to the pediatrician who got my younger son to sneeze. I blame myself for allowing small beads around curious children. I’m sure your statistical analysis is much more interesting than mine.

  • http://doctoranonymous.com/ Doctor Anonymous

    It’s the first one; no the second one; no the first one…

    I’m Dr. A, and I approved this comment….

  • http://doctoranonymous.com Doctor Anonymous

    It’s the first one; no the second one; no the first one…

    I’m Dr. A, and I approved this comment….

  • http://www.revolutionhealth.com/blogs/valjonesmd Dr. Val

    Great to have you back, Dr. Rob! We missed you so…

    In my specialty it’s probably 95% frailty 5% stupidity, though sometimes the stupidity leads to the frailty (e.g. GSW to SCI).

    When I worked in the ER, it sure felt like it was 50% stupidity, though. ;)

  • http://www.revolutionhealth.com/blogs/valjonesmd Dr. Val

    Great to have you back, Dr. Rob! We missed you so…

    In my specialty it’s probably 95% frailty 5% stupidity, though sometimes the stupidity leads to the frailty (e.g. GSW to SCI).

    When I worked in the ER, it sure felt like it was 50% stupidity, though. ;)

  • http://nobodyimportant-jmb.blogspot.com/ jmb

    Stupidity by a hair I would guess, since you’ve asked. Welcome back.

  • http://nobodyimportant-jmb.blogspot.com/ jmb

    Stupidity by a hair I would guess, since you’ve asked. Welcome back.

  • Ellie

    Dr Rob! I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to spam you with llamas to get you to come back!

    I’d say it’s about an 80/20 mix of things. In the ER, I think the stats go higher towards stupidity (for people who can walk themselves in). (And I’m counting myself in the stupid group. I had a c-section recently and I wasn’t watching where I was going, stepped on one of the kids’ toys and went crashing in a heap to the floor, mangling my just-healed incision in the process. Off to the ER after I consulted with my OB, since it was after hours. Sigh. I suppose I can hold it over my kids’ heads later. “No allowance for you until I pay off my ER bill because you’ve left a minefield all over the house!”)

  • Ellie

    Dr Rob! I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to spam you with llamas to get you to come back!

    I’d say it’s about an 80/20 mix of things. In the ER, I think the stats go higher towards stupidity (for people who can walk themselves in). (And I’m counting myself in the stupid group. I had a c-section recently and I wasn’t watching where I was going, stepped on one of the kids’ toys and went crashing in a heap to the floor, mangling my just-healed incision in the process. Off to the ER after I consulted with my OB, since it was after hours. Sigh. I suppose I can hold it over my kids’ heads later. “No allowance for you until I pay off my ER bill because you’ve left a minefield all over the house!”)

  • Rob

    For me it is about 50-50. Some stupidity is due to just not thinking and coming in with things that could have been otherwise handled. Some of it is smoking, overeating, not exercising, living in destructive relationship. It is a stupidity that we all share, but stupidity nonetheless.

    Good to hear from you all. I am not “back” yet, but am heading in that direction (I think). Life is definitely better.

  • Rob

    For me it is about 50-50. Some stupidity is due to just not thinking and coming in with things that could have been otherwise handled. Some of it is smoking, overeating, not exercising, living in destructive relationship. It is a stupidity that we all share, but stupidity nonetheless.

    Good to hear from you all. I am not “back” yet, but am heading in that direction (I think). Life is definitely better.

  • http://www.rebuildyourback.com/ Dean Moyer

    I’m not back yet, either.

  • http://www.rebuildyourback.com/ Dean Moyer

    I’m not back yet, either.

  • http://www.rebuildyourback.com/ Dean Moyer

    But I do know something about stupidity. :-)

  • http://www.rebuildyourback.com/ Dean Moyer

    But I do know something about stupidity. :-)

  • PJ Geraghty

    As a paramedic emeritus, I think it leans towards 70/30 in favor of stupidity. Some of it is chronic (smoking, drinking, etc.), some of it is acute (DUI crashes, inattention, etc.).

    But let’s not forget…some of it is iatrogenic. I’m on coumadin after a saddle PE which developed after my orthopod discontinued my Lovenox while I still was largely-immobile from my tibial plateau fracture suffered in a motorcycle crash. So while the orthodpedic injury was *my* stupidity, the 5 days of heparin and six months of coumadin is (in my opinion) his.

  • PJ Geraghty

    As a paramedic emeritus, I think it leans towards 70/30 in favor of stupidity. Some of it is chronic (smoking, drinking, etc.), some of it is acute (DUI crashes, inattention, etc.).

    But let’s not forget…some of it is iatrogenic. I’m on coumadin after a saddle PE which developed after my orthopod discontinued my Lovenox while I still was largely-immobile from my tibial plateau fracture suffered in a motorcycle crash. So while the orthodpedic injury was *my* stupidity, the 5 days of heparin and six months of coumadin is (in my opinion) his.

  • http://mythreeringcircus.com tiff

    Wouldn’t it differ with the field that you work in?
    Some have said ER seems there is higher stupidity.
    Wouldn’t paeds be parent frailty? Not so much the children. The parents would be the determining factor.

    In antenatal admissions, it would be 80% frailty and 20% stupidity, I think.

  • http://mythreeringcircus.com/ tiff

    Wouldn’t it differ with the field that you work in?
    Some have said ER seems there is higher stupidity.
    Wouldn’t paeds be parent frailty? Not so much the children. The parents would be the determining factor.

    In antenatal admissions, it would be 80% frailty and 20% stupidity, I think.

  • http://seaspray-itsawonderfullife.blogspot.com/ SeaSpray

    I don’t know. Agreed we do stupid things that bring on new or exacerbate old conditions. Then there’s the accidents and other things we subject ourselves too. But then some things, virus’ etc. that we have limited control over. Maybe more stupidity but depends who you talk to I guess.

    It’s nice to hear you things are going better.
    Welcome almost back! :)

  • http://seaspray-itsawonderfullife.blogspot.com SeaSpray

    I don’t know. Agreed we do stupid things that bring on new or exacerbate old conditions. Then there’s the accidents and other things we subject ourselves too. But then some things, virus’ etc. that we have limited control over. Maybe more stupidity but depends who you talk to I guess.

    It’s nice to hear you things are going better.
    Welcome almost back! :)

  • mary

    Left an entry on this elsewhere, but just thought of another reason often not spoken of by a patient- the phrase “Watch this!” Hope to see you more on here…miss all the fun!

  • http://http:labwhiners2005.spaces.live.com mary

    Left an entry on this elsewhere, but just thought of another reason often not spoken of by a patient- the phrase “Watch this!” Hope to see you more on here…miss all the fun!

  • http://www.gracefulwriter.com/ Shirley

    Wow, tough call. But I think it’s safe to say that stupidity is very often the result of the fear of human frailty. A zit on the hiney….aaaaggghhh, MRSA!!! Stuff like that.

  • http://www.gracefulwriter.com Shirley

    Wow, tough call. But I think it’s safe to say that stupidity is very often the result of the fear of human frailty. A zit on the hiney….aaaaggghhh, MRSA!!! Stuff like that.

  • chris and vic

    Add a 3rd choice, I say: inexperience. If you need help figuring something out, due to inexperience (it’s your first experimental child or the zit on the hiney could be a spider bite OR MRSA OR a blocked hair follicle OR . . .), then go to someone who can help you figure it out–the doc-dude.

    I see much in life through the filter of problem-solving and the skills needed for problem-solving. Thus, the doc-visit. Though they may have called it “diagnosis” and “prognosis” in medical training, it is really high-level problem-solving. To me.

    Chris and Vic7

  • chris and vic

    Add a 3rd choice, I say: inexperience. If you need help figuring something out, due to inexperience (it’s your first experimental child or the zit on the hiney could be a spider bite OR MRSA OR a blocked hair follicle OR . . .), then go to someone who can help you figure it out–the doc-dude.

    I see much in life through the filter of problem-solving and the skills needed for problem-solving. Thus, the doc-visit. Though they may have called it “diagnosis” and “prognosis” in medical training, it is really high-level problem-solving. To me.

    Chris and Vic7

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