A close relative recently underwent hip replacement at the Texas Orthopedic Hospital in Houston’s Texas Medical Center. She raved about her surgeon, Dr Richard Kearns. I had the opportunity to sit by her bed while he made his evening rounds (he didn’t know I was a physician until we were introduced at the end of his visit).
These are the qualities seem to make him successful:
- Approachable.
He bridged the technical gap that often separates patient and surgeon. He used carefully chosen language and examples the average person can understand. - Transparent. During his post-op visit we learned something about his family, his kids and his morning routine.
- Patient and respectful. He visited for 20 minutes but as far as I could tell he would have stayed there all night had there been questions.
- Passionate.
This guy loves what he does. Had the conversation stayed on the recent advances of implantable joints we probably never would have gotten rid of him.
Of course these qualities won’t cover technical incompetence in a surgeon. But the capacity to function both as a noted joint surgeon while simultaneously possessing the skill to make a frightened 65-year-old woman thoroughly comfortable is the sweet spot.
In the end it was cool to see a good relationship work.
The health infosphere is filled with vitriolic banter of unfortunate encounters with physicians. Had this story involved a bad outcome or a humiliating bedside experience I suspect this post would be retweeted, referenced, and held up as another example of all that’s wrong with our system. Unfortunately the blessing of good work and a good relationship between a doctor and a patient just isn’t newsworthy.
But sometimes it’s just as important to hear about what works as what doesn’t.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hear, hear! We need to share our positive experiences. When it was my turn to get breast cancer last year, I already had a good relationship with my family doctor but I saw him once or twice a year at most. Now I suddenly had weekly visits with him, a general surgeon, plastic surgeon and oncologist. Each one of them is as compassionate as he is skilled and not one of them has ever made me feel like a diagnosis on a chart. When I wrote about my experience for my local paper, I heard from women whose experiences were not as good, and others who like and respect their teams as much as I like and respect mine. The good doctors are out there and if you have a choice of care providers when faced with a bad one, vote with your feet. If you don't have a choice, speak up. I know that's not always easy but it's your body and your life. And in fairness to doctors, it takes two to communicate, so give them a chance. They can't read our minds.
P.S. DrV, Your blog is awesome.
Thank you so much for your kind comments, Jackie. You're absolutely correct: Truly empowered patients vote with their feet. The doctor-patient relationship is a two-way street and as the 'power' of the relationship shifts so does the level of responsibility. I hope to see you back.
Great post… not all surgeons are alike!!! Rounds are not a chore that simply needs to be accomplished… patients truly look forward to seeing their surgeon, and need more feedback than hearing "everything looks great". I actually take coffee orders on weekends and used to bring donuts until the nurses chastised me for doing so!!
I love engaging with families and sharing the knowledge and info pertinent to their case. We installed white boards on the walls of their rooms so I can draw too!!!
Great blog and great post!
Howard Luks MD
Howard – I loooove whiteboards. Thanks for your input and thanks for such a heartfelt commitment to great patient-centered care.