Doctored The Disillusionment Of An American Physician Summary

Commodification is known as the transformation of goods and services or things that may not normally be regarded as goods or services into a commodity. What makes anything a commodity is the possibility of trading it for profit. But what happens when this transfers into Health care? Taking such a highly valued occupation that is almost so sacred and turning it into a business and industrializing it will only bring negative results. It affects not only the physicians job but as well as the patient care and adds more of a strain on patient to physician relationships, even as well as physician to physician relationships. In Doctored the Disillusionment of an American Physician by Sandeep Jauhar we get an inside story of what commodification does

“You’re doing things, and you’re doing them because you’ve got to do them, but you’re thinking, Why the hell am I doing this?” [Jauhar pg.26] Dr. Jauhar’s post-call fellow mentioned. “Everyone wants a number, a lab test, a simple objective measurement to make diagnosis. If a physical exam can diagnose a pinched spinal nerve with only 90 percent probability, then there is an almost irresistible urge to get a thousand-dollar MRI to close the gap.” [Jauhar pg. 55] aside from the uncomfortability for fear of law suits for malpractice; there comes the need to push tests that aren’t necessary for the gain of revenue. “ Most doctors want to help people…But to make money for the ex-wife or the fancy house ,they are starting to do stupid things…doing treadmill tests on patients with emphysema who cannot exercise … they know its useless but they don’t want to lose the revenue…deep down they know its wrong , which is why they are so depressed…they do stress tests on healthy eighteen-year-olds who can run fifteen minutes on the treadmill without breaking a sweat… “you think New York is the worst ? No, Dr. Jauhar, this kind of stuff goes on everywhere. West coast, New Jersey – it’s just the degree”.” [ Jauhar pg.158] Testing in hospitals and private practices have gone from getting straight to the

So they struggle with the loss of their professional ideals. Basically, leaving doctors with the fact that if you remain principled you will struggle. They won’t be living a very up and up lifestyle it will be very mediocre, which isn’t the norm for a profession of a doctor. Dr. Jauhar and his family were living in a one-bedroom apartment, which isn’t a place that you would have thought a Cardiologist would live. Dr. Jauhar included posts from a online community of more than 125,000 physicians one mentioned how “ I wouldn’t do it again …Working up in the ER these days involves shot gunning multiple unnecessary tests( everyone gets a CT!) despite the fact we know they don’t need them…I feel like a pawn in a money-making game for hospital administrators…the sad part is we choose medicine because we thought it was worth while and noble but what I have seen in my short career it is a charade.” (Jauhar pg.6-7) To see a physician say that they wouldn’t choose to become a physician again if given the chance shows that they have essentially been let down, because it was not what they expected being a physician to be