The author, New York Times Well Blog contributor Theresa Brown, described a culture of disrespect in hospitals, rife with misogyny, rudeness and cutting remarks. She discussed several instances when she witnessed a physician mock or scold a nurse in front of a patient.
Several physicians and healthcare providers responded to Ms. Brown’s op-ed, including Kevin Pho, MD, a New Hampshire internist and regular op-ed contributor for USA Today. Dr. Pho said about the op-ed, “Attacking physicians so personally only serves to drive a bigger wedge between doctors and nurses, when in fact, we need to be working together to solve this issue common to both professions.”
University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Arthur Caplan, MD, express concern to The Atlantic over Ms. Brown’s claim that she talked to the criticized physician about his mention before writing her editorial. Dr. Caplan said to The Atlantic that asking for consent in the heat of the moment “is not the same as asking later for permission to portray someone in a widely disseminated story where the person is put in a negative light.”
Despite the negative reactions by Dr. Caplan and Dr. Pho, many readers have applauded Ms. Brown’s editorial, backing up her claims about the negative hospital culture spread by some physicians.
Read The Atlantic report on the New York Times op-ed piece.
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