- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." — Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's health information websites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the website) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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Oct. 11, 2011
Coping with a professional crisis
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Things don't always turn out the way you hope they will. Most people understand that, but some can't accept it. They look for someone to blame. That's true in all areas of life.
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And so it is in medicine. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the outcome is not positive. Yet patients want and expect cure and recovery. When this expectation isn't met, some patients and families turn to the legal system.
Physicians and other caregivers typically go into medicine with the honorable and noble goal of helping people. So when our judgment is questioned, it can be devastating.
One of my colleagues, a respected clinician, evaluated a patient for a specific problem. All of the appropriate studies were ordered. A careful history and physical examination were obtained, but there was no obvious reason for the patient's problem. Follow up was recommended. The patient later developed a serious problem, one that could not have been detected earlier. The family filed a lawsuit.
As a result, my colleague lost confidence, became isolated and considered leaving the profession. In this difficult situation, it's important to keep perspective. If we know that we did the right thing, even if the outcome wasn't ideal, it can help lighten the heavy burden of remorse. It's also important to take care of ourselves physically, psychologically and spiritually during this intensely stressful time.
I don't mean to suggest that true negligence shouldn't be addressed. However, the numbers seem out of balance when you consider that nearly all doctors in specialties such as obstetrics and general surgery will face at least one malpractice claim during their careers.
Of course in our litigious society, medicine isn't the only profession subject to lawsuits. If you've experienced a similar professional crisis, please weigh in with your suggestions for dealing with these thorny issues.
6 comments posted
September 17, 2012 7:50 p.m.
Glad I've finlaly found something I agree with!
- Molly
October 20, 2011 11:38 a.m.
This blog brought back memories of something that happened to me many years ago. I had surgery and found myself with a problem, either mental or physical or both. The only thing I was sure of is that I was hurting and the only one I could see to blame was the doctor who ordered the surgery. In hindsight, more than likely he had nothing to do with the problem. I am sorry for wrongly blaming someone by reporting him and potentially hurting his career. At the same time, I am eternally grateful that I had another option in Mayo for help or I wouldn't be here to tell the story. Some medical lawsuits are legitimate, some are frivolous, and some are just plain unfortunate. The secret is to find which are legitimate and limit the damages.
- carol
October 19, 2011 3:38 p.m.
When the doctor has a good professional relationship with the patient and his family is very rare the legal problems.
- Sergio
October 19, 2011 2:18 p.m.
My professional crisis caused concern, procedures and a stay in the hospital. The doctor who was responsible was very apologetic and I told her it was fluke and I wasn't angry or upset. When asked by others why I didn't sue I told them it wasn't on purpose, I fully recovered and the doctor's apology was sufficient. We are in a sue happy society and some are just looking for extra money. I blame lawyers also for being so willing to sue. Accidents happen.
- Ferne
October 15, 2011 7:40 p.m.
One person's opinion here: From a more detached perspective, you've got the human mental tendency toward attribution error, that is toward overcausation, the belief that if something went wrong it was result of a human agent. Our brains evolved to do this in a less complex environment. (Logically, it's the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.) Then you have the infantalization of patients/customers through mass marketing, a failure by some in the professions to engage in expectations management. Furthermore, you have the skewed financial incentives toward casting blame, using, yes, attribution fallacies--not always wrong, by the way. Until our society gets more enlightened, this is the landscape. Meantime, however, it's hard to overstate the importance of expressing empathy and trying to follow the golden rule toward everyone in life. Yes, this is coming from a voice of experience. It's soul-crushing to be targeted unfairly in a lawsuit, and the very traits that make someone a competent professional--attention to detail, perfectionism, drive and sensitivity--can then work against that person. What was most helpful? Giving up some perfectionism, owning up to being a mere human, learning how to forgive, and most important, rejecting self-focus. The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. Life's not fair, but how you frame the experience makes all the difference. Victim or seasoned survivor? Diminished or strengthened human being? Your narrative; your call.
- Alan
October 12, 2011 3:29 p.m.
This was a very good post. I had major professional setback after years and years of continued success. I quickly circled the wagons of friends and family for moral support (and I allowed myself no long winded whining), and also stepped back and said, what would I like to do besides work tons of hours a week? So I dug out my violin to play for the nursing home, and increased my running, took a personal finance class, and also, stopped working so many hours at work. Guess what, it did not matter on the amount of overtime i did, and I was able to focus better and turn things around at work, disproving all the nay-sayers. It is still hard to accept even two years later, but I strive to keep it all in perspective - through these and other non-work activities.
- TMary
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