Skip to main content

Looking Back on 2021. Time to Look Ahead.

2022 is here!  2021 has been an annus horribilis for America and the world.   We have simply not been able to vaccinate and boost ourselves free of the suffocating tentacles of an evolving coronavirus. Here in Ohio and elsewhere COVID-19 tests are endangered species.  Folks spend hours trolling around town hoping that a local pharmacy or a public library will receive a supply at the very moment he or she walks in.  My own inquiries have all yielded the same result – no tests available and no idea if and when they may arrive.


Did you watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve?


The pandemic, which in any earlier time in our history would likely have drawn us together, is cleaving the nation.  The day before writing this, I saw 2 patients who had elected to shun the vaccine.  I’ll spare readers their explanations which originated in the huge ‘science-free zone’ that tens of millions of Americans inhabit.  And earlier in the week, a medical professional who had been vaccinated expressed opposition to a vaccine mandate.  Her objection is that the government should not be able to force us to take such an action.  (Keep in mind that this individual and myself and millions of health care professionals are required to accept yearly influenza vaccines, TB testing and to be up to date with various routine vaccinations.)  I understand the personal freedom argument.  And I agree that we must be very cautious about granting the government excessive control over our individual decisions. Clearly, many private businesses and organizations favor a vaccine mandate as is their right. Others are concerned that a mandate would leave them short of workers after a mandate walk out.  I responded to my medical colleague that her argument that a mandate encroaches on her freedom is vulnerable.  I have no objection, I remarked, if she wishes to refuse a mammogram.  Such a decision only affects her health.  But an individual who declines to be vaccinated can affect the health of others.  These folks have rights also.  But I admit that there is nuance and a slippery slope potential here.

And the FDA and the CDC haven’t inspired much confidence with fumbling decisions and mixed messaging.  Who can blame folks for being confused and skeptical?  The CDC’s most recent iteration of quarantine and isolation policies has been roundly criticized - not by anti-vaxxers but by public health experts.  In fairness, the CDC's new and improved version is an acknowledgement that the prior policy of prioritizing public health over the economy and education was misguided and needed to be recalibrated. 

This past year has also laid bare our politics at its worst.  Comity and collaboration are out and hatred and revenge are in.  The mantra for many of our leaders and their constituents seems to be, I win if you lose, not an uplifting strategy.  And, a year ago the nation was treated to an actual insurrection!

Beyond the pandemic, inflation is surging, our southern border is in chaos and lawlessness and violence abound.  We are all horrified at the smash and grab episodes that are captured on video.

And internationally, our relations with China, Russia, Iran are all going swimmingly. 

Here’s to 2022!  Hoping and praying for a new mantra.  How ‘bout, If we both win, we all win?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Becoming a Part-Time Physician

Next month my schedule will change.  I will henceforth be off on Fridays with my work week truncated to Monday through Thursday.   I am excited to be enjoying a long weekend every weekend.  And while the schedule change is relatively minor, this event does feel like an important career moment for me.  It is the first step on a journey that will ultimately lead beyond my professional career.  It is this recognition that makes this modest schedule modification more significant than one would think it deserves.  As some readers know,   my current employed position has been a dream job for me.   Prior to this, I was in a small private practice, which I loved, but was much more challenging professionally and personally.   My partner and I ran the business.   Working nights, weekends and holidays were routine for decades.   On an on-call night, if I slept  through until morning, I felt as if I had won the lottery.   And w...

When Should Doctors Retire?

I am asked with some regularity whether I am aiming to retire in the near term.  Years ago, I never received such inquiries.  Why now?   Might it be because my coiffure and goatee – although finely-manicured – has long entered the gray area?  Could it be because many other even younger physicians have given up their stethoscopes for lives of leisure? (Hopefully, my inquiring patients are not suspecting me of professional performance lapses!) Interestingly, a nurse in my office recently approached me and asked me sotto voce that she heard I was retiring.    “Interesting,” I remarked.   Since I was unaware of this retirement news, I asked her when would be my last day at work.   I have no idea where this erroneous rumor originated from.   I requested that my nurse-friend contact her flawed intel source and set him or her straight.   Retirement might seem tempting to me as I have so many other interests.   Indeed, reading and ...

Personal Responsibility for Health

One of the advantages of the computer era is that patients and physicians can communicate via a portal system.  A patient can submit an inquiry which I typically respond to promptly.  It also offers me the opportunity to provide advice or test results to patients.  Moreover, the system documents that the patient has in fact read my message.  Beyond the medical value, it also provides some legal protection if it is later alleged that ‘my doctor never sent me my results’.  I have always endorsed the concept that patients must accept personal responsibility.   Consider this hypothetical example. A patient undergoes a screening colonoscopy and a polyp is removed.   The patient is told to expect a portal message detailing the results in the coming days.   Once the analysis of the polyp has been completed, the doctor sends a message via the portal communicating that the polyp is benign, but is regarded as ‘precancerous'.   The patient is advise...