DB'S MEDICAL RANTS

Internal medicine, American health care, and especially medical education

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Hubris – the enemy of high quality teaching and care

Hubris – excessive pride or self-confidence – unfortunately infects many who have success.  We run the risk of believing all the nice things people say about us.  Some start believe their own invincibility.  This risk affects politicians, entertainers, athletes and physicians (among many others).

We have a responsibility to avoid hubris.  We must continue to second guess ourselves and encourage our learners and even our patients to second guess us.  We must remain open to the suggestions of others.

It seems difficult, because too often we see hubris in medicine.   We must train our students, interns and residents that hubris is the enemy.

Hubris is seductive.  Praise is seductive.  We must accept the praise but not believe the praise blindly.  We must know ourselves accurately.  And we must work hard to avoid hubris.  Hubris leads to errors in judgment and thus our patients may suffer.  And that we must avoid.

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