Guest posting by Andrew Ta
It’s often said the medical field has yet to receive innovation or be affected by the same winds of change that have blown through other industries. However, to say such a statement requires ignorance of the reality that the medical field is so immensely large and multi-faceted, and that each part of it changes without regards to each other. There’s medical training & physician shortages, global health & big data, and changing patient habits & an influx of individual technologies (Internet of Things, anyone?). Each of these things are lumbering from old standards towards new, innovative ideals, and those willing to take a moment to look at the big picture of all the aforementioned parts will be amazed, if not a bit apprehensive.
It begins in the medical school, as curriculums that haven’t shifted in decades undergo dramatic changes. Most still follow traditions set by Abraham Flexner in the early 20th century, but his 2+2 model fails to address and teach the patient-centeredness expected of doctors today. The Flexner model states that students spend two years studying from the books, followed by two years of shadowing professionals. Although the academics and hard sciences remain important (although perhaps less so given the rise of easily-accessibly and searchable information along with how there’s just so much more info to know), new emphasis must be placed on soft skills like communication, for the discussion between a patient and their physician comprises a significant part of what patients take away from the medical industry. Doctors must convey everything from good practices and habits to delivery of unfortunate, sometimes tragic, information. Also important is the ability to critically think and react to changes that will inevitably happen to the medical field. We know that doctors not trained as such will resist change in their older years; we should take steps now to avoid that and ensure we have a spry healthcare system willing to adapt.
That isn’t everything that medical schools much change, however. In today’s hospitals, doctors no longer work alone; they have a team of professionals at their side, whether it be nurses, physician assistants, social workers, or otherwise. Doctors must be able to work with those individuals, and although improving communication training will help with that, more explicit steps taken should be taken. Medical schools admit students based on supposedly holistic standards and their leadership and personability, but do they work to improve those traits in those they admit? Medical schools should push more inter-professional training and team-based exercises into their curriculum to better accomplish those goals.
The passing of the Affordable Care Act accelerated the changes in the medical field and made healthcare much more accessible to those that had previously been neglected. With that, however, there was an influx of new patients with countless complications, all at the same time as a host of other changes to the medical field, including change insurances and payment models. The medical system was already overworked, and it will undoubtedly get worse before it gets better; hopefully the different changes synergize well.
Even as the ACA changes occur, startups are hoping to exploit new technologies to tap into the lucrative patient market. Those startups and telehealth companies can work with or against the existing industries. Will they partner with hospitals (like SeamlessMD attempted to), or will they remain a separate alternative (like Doctors on Demand and Grand Rounds)?
Other surprise trends have appeared as well, made possible by today’s changing values and technologies. There’s a growing movement for patients to receive treatment at home, rather than in a hospital. In the hopes of improved quality of life and reduce costs, hospitals are experimenting with the possibility of offering hospital-level care to patients who live in their own homes, their family and familiar belongs at their side. Besides the practical benefits of avoiding the hospital (such as skipping out on the hospital superbugs the media likes to monger), there’s the possibility that these new approaches signify the next medical frontier.
Sources
Cassella, Carol W. “Keep Patients Healthy, and Doctors Sane.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Apr. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/opinion/keep-patients-healthy-and-doctors-sane.html>.
Khullar, Dhruv. “Doctors and Nurses, Not Learning Together.” The New York Times. New York Times, 30 Apr. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/30/doctors-and-nurses-not-learning-together/>.
Lamas, Daniela J., M.D. “Admitted to Your Bedroom: Some Hospitals Try Treating Patients at Home.” The New York Times. New York Times, 27 Apr. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/admitted-to-your-bedroom-some-hospitals-try-treating-patients-at-home/>.
Rovner, Julie. “Medical Schools Reboot For 21st Century.” NPR. NPR, 9 Apr. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/04/09/390440465/medical-schools-reboot-for-21st-century>.