by Lindsey VanDyke, DO, FACOI, FEAA
I chose to train as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine for two reasons:
- The central tenet of Osteopathic Medicine that all physiologic and psychologic components of the human body are infinitely interconnected, and
- The body has an innate ability to heal itself.
Heal Thyself
It’s really quite miraculous if you think about it.
You cut your finger on something sharp and it bleeds and causes pain. Within seconds, the body has launched a cascade of chemistry to clot the blood, and endorphins to handle pain. Within days the cells of the skin, connective tissue and nerves begin knitting themselves back together. A few weeks later, no trace of that cut remains.
So how can we apply this to the larger scope of medicine?
Modern American Medicine
The landscape of healthcare, which used to center on the family doctor that knew you from the cradle to the grave, has given way to an industrial giant.
While it is true that advances in medical technology, pharmaceuticals and procedures are extraordinary, the time spent with each patient is ever shrinking.
No longer does one physician know you from cradle-to-grave. Now, with the speed and volume of visits ever-growing, burnout among the physicians and nurses keeps pace and I continually hear the same problem: “My doctor quit/left/retired and I don’t know what to do.”
And at the center of all this is the for-profit insurance industry, which whittles away at the doctor-patient relationship by cutting reimbursements, denying procedures, medications or referrals, requiring more time and energy from the staff. The only way to make up the losses from the insurers is to squeeze a few more people in every day. Suddenly, one doctor is seeing 30, 40 or 50 patients every day in order to make ends meet. Spending mere minutes with someone before moving on.
Time is Precious
Conditions like diabetes or cancer, for example, are all-consuming. They inherently buck the idea that a 5 or 10 minute visit will suffice.
There’s too much to know.
Too much to process.
Too much to navigate.
Time with the doctor and support staff is the very crux of my practice. And it works.
I will frequently get messages from colleagues who refer an out-of-control diabetes case, and include the phrase, “I’m sorry it’s a mess, but I did the best I could.”
And they truly did.
They did their best in a system that hamstrings them to do ever more with always less.
Time Heals
When we meet a new diabetes patient for the first time, we easily expect that visit to take an hour. We cover every minute detail of their disease. Yes, we shift medications or start using sensors or pumps, but the main thing we do is listen.
We listen to what has been done before, what worked, what didn’t work, what the patient’s limitations are, frustrations in the past and how diabetes affects their psychological health.
We meet them where they are.
And what I have learned from this is that no one is really a “train wreck.” Essentially no one actually wants to be sick.
What they want is to have enough time to truly understand what is going on, and how the changes we make will help. They want to know why diabetes exists, how it works, and why it progresses. They want to understand not just that they need to change their diet, but how to change it in a way that fits in their life.
And when they are given the tools they need to be successful, they really really are successful.
And that’s not just the meds, or the sensors or the pumps that do that. It’s the time they have with their doctor, dietitian, nurse and diabetes educator.
Time is what ultimately helps patients thrive.
Resources:
