KevinMD's Take, October 27, 2011

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Several weeks ago, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said the HPV vaccine was dangerous.

It isn't, but the resulting media uproar has consequences.

According to the New York Times,
What celebrities and politicians say matters.  Physicians have a relatively soft media platform, and cannot compete with prominent public figures.  That's why I argue that the health profession needs to recruit celebrities to the cause of reputable, evidence-based medicine.


"Is there a doctor on board?"

Those words are not what most physicians want to hear on board an airplane.

But in this guest post by physician Rajka Milanovic Galbraith, she argues that it is their duty:
This is what I found on a [US legal website]: “A person is not obligated by law to do first aid in most states, not unless it’s part of a job description. However, some states will consider it an act of negligence though, if a person doesn’t at least call for help.”
Isn’t coming to the aid of an ailing passenger part of our job description?  Or because we are not on duty, is it really not part of our job?

There will be some who would be hesitant coming to someone's aid on an airplane.  But, perhaps, physicians should be reminded of why they became doctors in the first place -- and that is to help others in need of medical attention.