From an editorial in The New York Times: “Medicine, like education, business and fashion, is subject to fads. Hormone replacement therapy. Radical mastectomy. Bloodletting. The latest? Breeding nice doctors. It’s all the rage.”

The author notes that “proponents of weeding out students who lack interpersonal skills argue that communication errors are at the root of medical mistakes. But we have no data to suggest that medical students who sit close but not too close make any fewer mistakes than their less-communicative colleagues. The awkward student in the corner who obsessively follows a checklist may make fewer procedural mistakes than his charming friend who lights up the room.”

It’s a thought provoking read and a good reminder that medicine, as with everything else, has its trends but unlike other fads is subject to the rigors of scientific investigation. “In a culture that values novel technology above all else, undue emphasis on interpersonal skills may make it only more difficult for patients to discern good medicine from that which makes us feel most understood. ” Read more…