I would love to hear everyone's opinions on this article... I am especially interested on hearing what Dmazement and StarlightRN have to say about this since you guys have experience with working in the OR. I guess I am a little naive, but I was flabbergasted to hear that surgeons will make fun of the patient while they are under anesthesia. Cracking dirty jokes in the OR to keep the mood light is one thing, but why crack the jokes at the patient's expense, especially if the patient is defenseless???

By Theresa Tamkins. Provided by Health.com


You’re sick, in the hospital, or maybe even undergoing surgery. The last thing you want to contemplate is the thought that your doctor might be making fun of your tattoos while you’re anesthetized.


But does it happen? Yes. According to a survey of doctors starting a residency in internal medicine, 17% had—along with their colleagues—made fun of a patient, sometimes when the patient was under.


Is nothing sacred? The good news, though, is that 94% of the 110 medical interns who took the anonymous survey realized that such behavior was inappropriate, according to a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

That means that only seven doctors in the survey thought that type of behavior was A-OK.


I guess it’s not that surprising, given the behavior of our on-air favorites. From Grey’s Anatomy to House, the overwhelming warts-and-all portrait seems to be this: Doctors are human. They fall in love, they get angry, and they like a good chuckle—sometimes at the patient’s expense.


Is it so surprising that some of those bad on-air behaviors might occur in real life too?

Is unprofessional behavior more common than in the past?


Television shows from yesteryear, such as Marcus Welby, M.D., and Dr. Kildare, presented doctors as somber and ultraprofessional, but that doesn’t mean that unprofessional behavior is a new problem, says study author Vineet Arora, MD, an assistant dean at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.


“Those shows projected a much more professional image,” she tells me, but “to say that this is a new phenomenon would not be correct.”


Learning respect and discretion are part of the so-called hidden curriculum—all of the things doctors learn on-the-job that don’t have to do with diagnosing and treating diseases.


Hospitals want to make sure that more seasoned doctors don’t promote or perpetuate unprofessional behavior and that newly minted MDs—like those surveyed—learn what is appropriate and inappropriate by the time they finish their residency, the training period after medical school.


While the teaching hospitals aren’t trying to drain all the humor out of the residency experience, they want to teach doctors where to draw the line. “I do think there are examples of really good-natured humor that is therapeutic, but not at someone’s expense,” she says.


And laughter at a patient’s expense could compromise care, says Dr. Arora.


“What if you were a patient and someone made fun of you behind your back?” she says. “You trust somebody to care for you and you would wonder about their ability to be objective and truly care for you.”


Dr. Arora couldn’t say whether the behavior of TV doctors -- such as Dr. House -- influences real-life doctors in any way. “That’s an interesting question,” she says. But TV programs do influence the public’s image of doctors.


“Certainly media portrayal of physicians definitely has an impact on the public perception of physicians,” she says.

Burnout may contribute to unprofessional behavior


Dr. Arora suspects that sleep deprivation and burnout are part of the problem. Doctors who behave unprofessionally, she explains, might have troubles of their own.


“There’s a lot of good data to suggest that people who are sleep-deprived in these settings do have more staff conflicts and burnouts and could possibly even further exacerbate unprofessional behavior,” she says.


And there are more serious behavioral problems—aside from laughing at patients.


The survey included questions about behavior that is frowned upon , such as attending a pharmaceutical-sponsored dinner or social event (69%), as well as behaviors that are considered egregious, including falsifying patient records (13%), and reporting patient test results as “normal” when unsure of the true results (10%).


“Those are examples that would compromise patient safety,” Dr. Arora says.


An unprofessional demeanor in residency could spell trouble for your entire career, she adds. Research has shown that those with poor ratings on professional behavior early in their careers are at greater risk of disciplinary action later on.

Thanks Deb, I am reassured to hear this.

anotherangie says ...

Getting insulted isn't fun for anybody, it can be hurtful.  People with low self esteem with an even lower sense of humor can be truly hurt by it..................can they just shoot up some extra versed so they cant remember? Bad joke, I know.  Weird topic, but I saw that on either yahoo or man t his am too!  I was in a car accident last year and had a massive  hematoma to a part of female anatomy.  After starting sedation, the OR nurse yelled while reviewing my chart..........'DIAGNOSIS BIG BOOB, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?"  I remember yelling back........."YOU NEED 2 OF EM"

Are you absolutely sure the OR nurse was not being facetious and showing displeasure over this diagnosis?  I've been known to be extremely blunt and outspoken at times and hope none of my patients have ever taken what I've said the wrong way.

Well, the short time that I have been in the OR, I have not witnessed any surgeons making fun of any of their patients. I have actually heard them make comments like this person has been through a hard time, is a really nice person. Today a surgeon made a comment about a tattoo a patient had on her thigh. He said it was beautiful. It was a very large tattoo and it was very beautiful.

As dmazment said, most of the time it's just idle chatter or no chatter at all, depending on the surgeon. Some like it quite and some like to talk.

dmazment says ...

anotherangie says ...

Getting insulted isn't fun for anybody, it can be hurtful.  People with low self esteem with an even lower sense of humor can be truly hurt by it..................can they just shoot up some extra versed so they cant remember? Bad joke, I know.  Weird topic, but I saw that on either yahoo or man t his am too!  I was in a car accident last year and had a massive  hematoma to a part of female anatomy.  After starting sedation, the OR nurse yelled while reviewing my chart..........'DIAGNOSIS BIG BOOB, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?"  I remember yelling back........."YOU NEED 2 OF EM"

Are you absolutely sure the OR nurse was not being facetious and showing displeasure over this diagnosis?  I've been known to be extremely blunt and outspoken at times and hope none of my patients have ever taken what I've said the wrong way.

Did you have a discussion with them about it?  Communicating is so important.  I am absolutely sure they were being 'facetious'............I feel I'm sure since they were laughing like hens at a hen party.  I was laughing too.............I have a great sense of humor.  However, my husband did NOT find their behavior amusing in the least.  I explained to him that nurses have twisted sense of humor like I do most of the time.  He said, 'this is MY wife they are laughing about".   Do  you think patients care what the nurse thinks about the diagnosis?  They want to be sure they are cared for safely and with kindness