More unintended consequences
From the Editor
Dr. Schwarzenberger is the former physician editor of DermWorld.
By Kathryn Schwarzenberger, MD, FAAD, January 1, 2022
The law was presumably well intended: Patients deserve access to their health information, and to the uninitiated, it makes sense that this should happen immediately. After all, why shouldn’t patients have access to test results when they become available? Those of us providing care have no doubt been dealing with the consequences of the 21st Century Cures Act, and I can think of no single act that so clearly demonstrated, at least to me, the critical importance of our role in providing patient care. Medicine is so much more than a series of tests with clear-cut answers. Results must be interpreted in the context of the clinical scenario and, as I strive to teach my residents, they should make sense. When and if they do not, they should be questioned, and some results end up being discounted. Other results are crystal clear, and sometimes painfully so; our job as physicians is to help translate these objective results on paper into the subjective impact they will have on our patients. For this, we serve as their guide, to help them both understand and navigate the path these results may take them down. I respect the right for my patients to have access to their information, but I am saddened that the doctor is being left out of the process.
How is your mental health these days? Physicians are notorious for spending all their energy caring for others, leaving little left to care for themselves. This can be true both physically and mentally. We have spoken about burnout in the past, but the last two years have really reset the bar. It would not be hard to imagine that some of us are struggling. We are told that help is available, but there are many barriers to care, including availability of providers and concerns about the impact seeking mental health care may have on our ability to practice. I’m delighted to see that some states, including my old stomping grounds North Carolina, have removed questions about mental health care from licensure applications. There are resources available specifically for physicians, some of which we list in this month’s feature on physician mental health. If you make no other New Year’s resolutions, please resolve to do a quick check on your mental health. If things aren’t where you want or need them to be, please reach out to someone. Like many of the diseases we treat, most things are best treated before they get away from us.
If you have energy left over for other resolutions, perhaps this would be a good year to join any of the AADA’s many advocacy efforts. Working with a very competent and dedicated staff, many of our members have spent countless hours helping to fight for issues near and dear to their hearts, whether working to prevent cuts in Medicare reimbursement, or fighting scope of practice expansion by non-physician providers. If you have advocacy experience, your expertise would be most welcome; if you have no experience, our colleagues will be more than happy to share theirs and help teach you the ropes. Being involved in advocacy is a very empowering and fulfilling experience, and I think you will be amazed at how very much a few people can accomplish. Learn more about our organization’s efforts and make this your advocacy year!
And happy New Year!
