Sunday, April 24, 2011

I'm not against the language of the marketplace

I'm against using it where it doesn't apply.

From Rashi Fein, via Paul Krugman:
A new language is infecting the culture of American medicine. It is the language of the marketplace, of the tradesman, and of the cost accountant. It is a language that depersonalizes both patients and physicians and describes medical care as just another commodity. It is a language that is dangerous.

2 comments:

  1. The problem with this is that it's not just the language but a whole conceptual system with morality built into it. See some example in this presentation, slide 20- http://www.slideshare.net/bohemicus/do-we-have-to-provide-educational-services-when-we-teach

    Not using the language of the market is not just heuristic but an ethical decision!

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  2. As a physician who occasionally has a hand in training new physicians, I assure you that most of us sterilize our trainees' mouths with soap if they ever refer to patients as "consumers". A good wash can lead to some good discussions about the relationship between doctor and patient, which is completely different than relationships in "the market".

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