Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Letters

Prevention of type 2 diabetes

BMJ 2001; 323 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7319.997 (Published 27 October 2001) Cite this as: BMJ 2001;323:997

Rapid Response:

Group Healthcare Advocacy Isn't Most Doctor's Work

Blaming even utterly appropiate influences stops short of completing
the physicians task..and it's a tiring one. Care of our imbalanced world
is too big a job for any sector of professional individuals,true. The
medical graduates and the sort of physicians they become have a unique and
vast social task but it isn't one they necessarily want or were looking
for or hoping to give their life to..Then as realities emerge along the
way the social crises live alive in very many of the situations they've
been trained to treat.. but they see readily that their tools often aren't
the solution really at all. Then the awkward facts to face are..How to
actually still help in achieving the desired outcomes..A big ongoing
question for medicine..Blaming doesn't cut it but at least it feels good
for a minute or two.

Competing interests: No competing interests

30 October 2001
Ned Hoke
private practice/ecological medicine
Western USA