My submission to USA today on Values

Well ladies and gentlemen, Today I am posting the response I sent to the newspaper USA today regarding American Values. They had requested that people send in a response about the so called "values" issue in the recent November elections (President, Congress, state office, local offices, amendments,etc) and its continuing aftermath. There was a limit of 250 words. So here is what I sent in response.

Dear USA Today

I am a trauma surgeon in a metropolitan hospital. Let me tell you about American values at present. Americans shoot and stab one another too often. Americans drink too much and drive killing themselves and one another. Too many Americans take illicit drugs. Americans commit too much domestic violence. Too many American teenagers get pregnant. Americans commit hate crimes. Americans engage in racial prejudice which kills by neglect, poverty and lack of health care. Americans ignore those who are homeless. Too few Americans are foster parents which is why we have so many battered children. Americans tolerate functional illiteracy. Too few Americans visit lonely men and women in nursing homes allowing diseases of neglect to flourish. Too many Americans who could make a difference by donating money to charity and more importantly donating time and work to worthwhile causes don’t. Americans smoke too much causing early deaths. Americans eat too much. Americans exercise too little. Many Americans speak loudly in words about values. Few Americans let their actions show they care about values. Where are American values headed? Americans are developing a value system which does not believe in the worth and dignity of each human being. Americans are indifferent to the idea that all people have an equal claim to life, liberty, and justice. Americans have a poverty of good works (which are the natural product of good faith). I urge every American who is able to volunteer two hours a week to helping others.

James T. Evans, M.D., FACS

Buffalo, New York

Interesting email

Here is an interesting email I recived with my responses.

From: Tim Barounis

Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 17:10:01 -0600

Subject: your blog = JoyofSurgery



Hi Dr. Evans,



I found your blog today and enjoyed reading it. Glad you did.

I'm a 3rd year medical student at Rush and, as a matter of

fact, in the middle of my surgery  rotation right now.

Hope you are enjoying it!

Up until a few months ago, I actually had a blog of my

own - very similar to yours.

Good for you, I heartily approve!!

Where was your blog?

I was forced by the administration (which one?)

to stop doing it because of concerns about revealing

confidential information. Like you, I never revealed

names or other identifying data. But I did discuss,

in frank detail, some of the interesting cases I had seen. 

That is appropriate.

What do you think about this? 

Concern for patient data is everywhere!

Like you, I was not blogging anonymously and I was

asked by more than one person - What if one of your

patients saw your blog and recognized him or herself?

Well the obvious ironclad solution is to have obtained

permission from the patient then there is

no dispute by anyone.

I didn't have a response for them other than  that

I believed what I was doing was both within the confines

of the law  and medical ethics.

I agree.

Do you think there is an ethical question here?

No ethical question whatsoever.

Maybe a HIPPA patient privacy question.

What would you do in my place?

A - either get patient permission or B- transfer my

blog to an area not controlled by administration.

What would you do if hospital administration asked

you to stop blogging?

Explore all my options. Since so many sites such as

Medscape, etc. have message boards which actually

discuss cases, it seems far fetched to be concerned

as long as there is no identifying information.



Also, if you want to share my blog for your surgery

cases we can discuss that.



Tim