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Emmanuel's avatar

As a physician, the rise of nurse practitioners has been the ultimate slap in the face. This is something we’ve given our lives to, then we see untrained posers slip into our role like a pair of cheap pants.

Hospitals expect us not only to cover for them, but to treat them as peers. Not only that, but we can no longer trust any referral or read or test at all. The stories are legion. It is the ultimate insult to many of us; and I don’t see where this fits in the superfecta.

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Sharon Taylor's avatar

This is important. The most frustrating thing I see as a patient and observer of my loved one’s experience, I now realize contributed to my early retirement from clinical practice. It is a lack of time and attention to proper communication and follow through with the patient from the intention set by the doctor to the delivery of intended services. As a practicing physician, I had to pick up the slack in this aspect of the system personally and it took a toll.

Systems need to be in place to automatically advocate for every patient and lead them through the steps of their care. The onus shouldn’t be on the patient to badger for appointments to be made, referrals to result in closing the loop communication (that includes the patient), tests and procedures to be approved, scheduled and reported and acted upon in a timely way etc.

So many excellent doctors report they can’t fix it or it is out of their control. We need to fix this as a system or build in these resources for both patients and doctors. The lack of success in this essential aspect of care reduces patient confidence and safety, which

In turn negatively affects outcomes. Worse yet it leads to doctors burning out and patients walking away in frustration only to return sicker later. We shouldn’t have patients and doctors both just giving up.

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