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Distraction from the news cycle: My favorite paper I've ever done is finally out, written with @MannZiva @UrmimalaSarkar!!! A thread...
Recommendations From the Twitter Hashtag #DoctorsAreDickheads: Qualitative Analysis https://www.jmir.org/2020/10/e17595
Recommendations From the Twitter Hashtag #DoctorsAreDickheads: Qualitative Analysis https://www.jmir.org/2020/10/e17595
We analyzed the provocative hashtag #DoctorsAreDickheads with a qualitative analysis. You may cringe at this term! Well, that was the point. Patients used this compelling hashtag to call attention to their real experiences in healthcare that had been dismissed for years.
Of conditions mentioned, most were challenging and chronic conditions. Highlighting that when there is uncertainty, we in the medical world dont know how to respond. We dont have great skills at accompanying an uncertain diagnosis.
Theme 1: was Belief and Diagnosis. Many examples of patients being gaslighted by docs about their symptoms or their condition, and minimizing the skill and expertise that patients bring to the exam room.
Theme 2 was the power differential and how medical providers can abuse their power through minimizing speech, behaviors, and even physical harm. In 2020 we are reckoning with many injustices...one of them is the power differential and hierarchy in medicine.
Theme 3 was the call to action. Patients and advocates want to help. There are compelling and well-documented strategies to engage patients healthcare redesign, and this should include how we communicate with patients. Consult with @MannZiva if you don't know what I mean!
Finally, this paper was my favorite ever because it was a truly interdisciplinary effort. Our team included experts from the patient engagement field, primary care, sociology, and public health. I never want to work in a silo ever again!
Oh and how often do you get to use the term "d*ckhead" in an academic paper? My 12 year old self is extremely thrilled 
