Do turf wars kill patients?
While physicians are often heard to complain that they are overworked with a heavy patient burden, so-called turf wars lurk under the surface, wherein physicians wrangle for the ability to perform what are generally highly-remunerated and quickly-performed procedures and interventions with excellent patient outcomes. It is very possible that within such turf wars, one specialty is consistently more skilled at performing the procedure than another, and therefore patient lives may be unnecessarily lost. This article hypothesizes that such differences in skills do exist between specialties and proposes a study to determine this.
Baerlocher
Mark O
MO
University of Toronto, Radiology Residency Training Program, Toronto, ON. mark.baerlocher@utoronto.ca
D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008511:Medicine; D005791:Patient Care / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D015642:Radiology, Interventional; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012107:Research Design; D013038:Specialization; D013043:Specialties, Surgical; D016896:Treatment Outcome