Question 11: Is a knowledge of sports necessary to be a good doctor?

In light of the wonderful Superbowl game that was just played (but what was with all of the punching from James Harrison, way to go woman beater), this is quite a fitting question, especially since it touches on, my favorite topic, the Art of Medicine. It is my personal belief that one of the biggest reasons why medical schools have started insisting on well rounded and diverse students comes from the idea of people treating people rather than doctors treating patients. This is the benefit of being diverse personally and having a diverse group of medical students. You grow from each other's experiences and interests, making it far easier to relate to a diverse patient population. To this end, sports is a very big part of many patients lives. I personally am not a big fan of watching sports on TV, though watching it in person is fun. However, I think that having some basic knowledge of the sporting world can be useful. Most of what I know is picked up from headlines I read on internet news pages, but it tends to be enough to hold a conversation with the average fan. I also think that following local teams (if your city has them) is probably most important. Those are the fans that you are most likely to treat, and being able to relate with a patient on any level is a good thing. If that happens to be talking about theSteelers , then great. The bottom line is that having diverse interests and knowledge will help you make that doctor patient connection. It builds trust in your abilities as a physician and in the idea that you see your patient as more than just a case of the flu. It doesn't matter whether or not that its true, what matters is the growing conviction among the population that has come to see physicians as detached and lacking in compassion.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, sometimes a little personal interest and caring is the only cure that a patient nervous about a rash needs. Furthermore, in the case of a patient with a serious condition, they are much more likely to trust your advice (and FOLLOW it!) to the letter if you prove that you have a genuine interest in their well being. For those who have to fake that genuine interest, you'll be happy to know that it also lowers your chances of being sued. Patients don't sue doctors they see as friends or as people who truly tried their hardest to help them. Patients sue doctors that don't seem to care, and then ascribe the negative effects of their treatment to this (regardless of the truth). My father has never been sued in 30 years as an ER doc. He attributes it to the fact he's always cared about his patients and taken the time to talk about the game last night.