Capabilities of the Average Physician (minus ER)

[slowthai]

I was wondering what their everyday capabilities were. As in, in and out of the hospital, what are they, or should they be able to do? Like if someone collapses on the street, will most doctors be able to take the modes of action necessary? Can they handle common emergencies? I was saying minus ER docs because dealing with everyday emergencies is what they do for a living (from what I understand). Sorry if this is the wrong forum to post this in. Please refer me to the correct one if necessary.

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[bashwell]

I was wondering what their everyday capabilities were. As in, in and out of the hospital, what are they, or should they be able to do? Like if someone collapses on the street, will most doctors be able to take the modes of action necessary? Can they handle common emergencies? I was saying minus ER docs because dealing with everyday emergencies is what they do for a living (from what I understand). Sorry if this is the wrong forum to post this in. Please refer me to the correct one if necessary.

Are you referring to BLS? Every med student or future doctor has to go through that at a bare minimum.

Some doctors do certain things more regularly than other doctors. Like emergency. physicians, anesthesiologists, and intensivists place lines, intubate, resuscitation, etc. more often than and with more regularity than say endocrinology or oncology. But it doesn't make an endocrinologist or oncologist any less of a doctor. They do lots of other things say an emergency physician or intensivist or anesthesiologist don't normally do.

So "everyday capabilities" differ depending on specialty. But if someone collapses on a street, although it depends on why they collapsed, usually you can't do much more than BLS anyway, which every doctor should be able to do.

Also it's worth noting at this point procedures aren't the sum of what makes a doctor a doctor.

 

[DubVille]

On "the street" or without equipment around a physician is capable of cpr....and could do an emergency trach. Otherwise skills will require equipment found in the medical setting

 

[Mad Jack]

Anybody can do BLS. A doctor is largely limited by what equipment they have available- an ER doc our trauma surgeon could witness a horrible car accident, but with no equipment, would be unable to do more than a psychiatrist or dermatologist- BLS and try to stop any bleeding with whatever you have at hand. Some people will carry kits in their car of emergency medical supplies, which can give them what they need to do ALS and manage other emergency conditions.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yeah, honestly if someone collapses on the street, chest compressions and calling for help are all anyone is going to be able to do that adds value. And every 16 year old lifeguard with a BLS card is going to be just as useful as a doctor in such a situation. Now in the hospital setting where you have equipment and drugs a doctor can do a bit more, but I think you are overestimating the powers of medicine in your situation.

 

[smq123]

I have always remembered this post by @tkim , who is an emergency medicine physician:

Pretty much, unless you carry a 'jump bag' in your car. When I was medic I used to carry a jump bag full of crap in my car - BVM, bandaging stuff, etc. There were other people with even less of a life who carried O2 tanks and other assorted crap. As the years went on, I carried less and less stuff, until someone broke into my car and stole all my crap. I never replaced any of the stuff. Now I just carry a phone.

Really the best thing you can do is make sure someone called 911 so they can arrive with the drugs and equipment that they need. A lot of medicine is equipment-dependant. You and pocketknife will not save the day - ever.

 

[AStark]

A pocketknife could come in handy...

 

[Winged Scapula]

Anybody can do BLS. A doctor is largely limited by what equipment they have available- an ER doc our trauma surgeon could witness a horrible car accident, but with no equipment, would be unable to do more than a psychiatrist or dermatologist- BLS and try to stop any bleeding with whatever you have at hand. Some people will carry kits in their car of emergency medical supplies, which can give them what they need to do ALS and manage other emergency conditions.

I beg to differ.

Have you ever seen a psychiatrist or dermatologist hold pressure on a bleeding wound? Its about 0.00005 psi.

 

[Siggy]

I beg to differ.

Have you ever seen a psychiatrist or dermatologist hold pressure on a bleeding wound? Its about 0.00005 psi.

Well, the dermatologist would at least try to keep the wound clean by putting gauze on it... which would provide more control than the psychiatrist trying to talk the wound into closing.

 

[link2swim06]

Could a single unequipped psychiatrist on the street do the same as multi-physician, multi-disciplinary team of a level 1 trauma center with the same speed and efficiency?




Probably not.

 

[Siggy]

Could a single unequipped psychiatrist on the street do the same as multi-physician, multi-disciplinary team of a level 1 trauma center with the same speed and efficiency?




Probably not.

Depends... does the psychiatrist have one of these?

 

[Crayola227]

Could a single unequipped psychiatrist on the street do the same as multi-physician, multi-disciplinary team of a level 1 trauma center with the same speed and efficiency?

Probably not.

Ah, c'mon, why we gotta pick on the psychs? haha.

Well, aside from CPR/collapse stuff, there's a range of what docs can do like just out on the street or at a dinner party.

"Generalists", would be Family Medicine practitioners (everything from birth to death), Internal Medicine (weird name but basically adult medicine, 12 yo and up, no babies or preggos), Emergency Med (they see all the day to day **** primary care docs should be seeing, so yeah, they can trach you and deal with your sinus congestion sniffles). Pediatricians too (do up to 18-21 yo, so they can handle all your day to day stuff too, even DM and HTN these days, not like diseases specific to being seriously old and decrepid). I won't put surgery down until they can prove that they don't need a med consult to handle SSI, haha. Now I'm picking on specialties.

Anyway, these guys would be handy if you were on a plane with chest pain and wanted to know if you needed to land it now or wait. They would be handy if in a nuclear holocaust only they and cockroaches survived. If there's a zombie apocalypse the surgeon might be handier in a pinch, but if you're looking to rebuild the human race one of the above would be good.

The reality is that outside the hospital, the psychiatrist is actually the one best trained to help you and the rest of society with like 90% of all that really ails you. They could probably more effectively help you with your addictions like smoking, drinking, overeating, not exercising, your depression and anxiety, and then basically 90% of the general medicine ward would be empty (reduction in our COPD'ers, ESLD, obesity factoring into DM and MI/CHF)

I would hope that like derm could do basic assessment of chest pain, but sadly, my experience says that is a skill that many have lost.

In my mind, a "real doc's doc" should be able to give you good advice about your head cold and know when chest pain should go to the ED, but that's me and that doesn't mean other docs aren't docs.

And as they say, an artist is only as good as his brush.

 

[Crayola227]

Depends... does the psychiatrist have one of these?

Coolest post ever.

 

[Chicago2012]

Based on the wording I'm picturing Batman, but all the compartments on his utility belt have medical supplies, not crime fighting gear.

 

[Crayola227]

Based on the wording I'm picturing Batman, but all the compartments on his utility belt have medical supplies, not crime fighting gear.

@Doctor4Life1769

 

[dpmd]

I have always remembered this post by @tkim , who is an emergency medicine physician:

Most of the time that would be right, but I personally know two doctors who saved people by giving them an emergency airway using a knife and improvised equipment (and one of them was an ID specialist).