Are You Better Off With an Experienced Doctor? Study Says No

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According to studies published in the American Journal of Medicine, hospital patients who are seriously ill fare better with less experienced doctors in charge of their care. While this flies in the face of ordinary common sense, it’s what one study has shown.
According to MSNBC, The results highlight “issues that we have as a medical profession in keeping up to date” with the latest medical knowledge, said Dr. Niteesh Choudhry of Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the new study. It is “a quality of care problem that has been recognized for five to 10 years,” he told Reuters Health.
The study is helpful in the sense that it highlights the necessity of ongoing, intensive continuing medical education. Physicians, like other professionals, must remain current in the latest science and treatment options for their patients. The study highlights an important deficiency in the certification process of physicians. Once a doctor becomes certified in a particular field of medicine, there is no longer a need for re-certification in spite of the fact that medicine is constantly changing and technology expanding. Perhaps the new study will compel the medical profession to re-think the certification process and the need for continuing education.

Mark Abramson
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