Ethics

Negotiating the Slippery Slope of Work Stress and Burnout

Among healthcare professionals, levels of stress and burnout (an extreme response to stress) rank among the highest of all professions. Experiencing high stress levels for an extended period of time often culminates in emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and diminished professional efficacy, which are synonymous with burnout, anxiety and depression. The prevalence of stress among the general working population is approximately 18%, while a South African study noted that among doctors it is approximately 28% and as high as 84% among registrars.

Modern Medicine – Issue 5, 2025

Finding the Balance Between Truth and Hope in Critical Illness Discussions

Truth and hope are crucial, yet complex, aspects of healthcare, often in tension with each other. Balancing truth-telling with the need to inspire hope is a significant challenge for healthcare professionals, particularly in situations involving serious illness and end-of-life care. While truthfulness is generally valued, some situations may warrant a more nuanced approach to preserve a patient’s hope, especially when truth-telling could be detrimental.

Modern Medicine – Issue 4, 2025

Integrated Care: A Strategy for Addressing Fragmented Healthcare

The fragmented nature of today’s health systems means that they are becoming increasingly unable to respond to the demands placed upon them. The focus on hospital-based, disease-based and self contained ‘silo’ curative care models undermines the ability of health systems to provide universal, equitable, high-quality and financially sustainable care.

Modern Medicine – Issue 3, 2025

The Pursuit of Perfection in Medicine Carries a High Price Tag

The nature of healthcare, where patient lives and outcomes are directly impacted by a medical professional’s actions, inherently demands a high level of precision and excellence. This environment can cultivate a mind-set in which anything less than perfection might be seen as a failure with severe consequences, amplifying the pressure to achieve and maintain extremely high standards. This quest for excellence can exact a heavy toll on doctor health and well-being.

Modern Medicine – Issue 2, 2025

A Prescription with a Difference: Gratitude

Gratitude is a powerful human emotion. It is derived from the Latin word gratia, meaning gratefulness or thankfulness. In its simplest form, gratitude refers to a ‘state of thankfulness’ or a ‘state of being grateful. Gratitude is quite difficult to define. It is an emotion, attitude, moral virtue, habit, personality trait and coping response. Gratitude creates positive feelings that have been linked to greater resilience and well-being and has been used therapeutically for treating anxiety and depression.

Modern Medicine – Issue 1, 2025

The Healing Power of Relationships

Human beings are designed to connect and build relationships. These connections can have a profound impact on the health and well-being of those involved. The doctor–patient relationship is an important driver of clinical outcomes – both in promoting desired results and in preventing adverse outcomes. Research in psychotherapy reveals that the nature of the therapist–client relationship accounts for approximately 45% of therapy’s effectiveness.

Modern Medicine – Issue 6 2024.

The Impact of Fragmented Care on Healthcare

Healthcare globally is characterised by increasing fragmentation, with many patients seeing multiple physicians. In the US, 35% of Medicare beneficiaries saw five or more physicians in 2019.1 Having multiple physicians may be appropriate, but it may also lead to medical errors, unnecessary visits, avoidable hospitalisations and suboptimal care if all of the physicians do not have complete information about the patient and each other’s care plans.

Modern Medicine – Issue 5 2024.

Not Knowing Your Implicit Biases Compromises Patient Care

A patient should not expect to receive a lower standard of care because of their race, age or any other irrelevant characteristic. Despite this, implicit associations (unconscious, uncontrollable, or arational processes) may influence physician judgements resulting in bias that may compromise patient care.

Modern Medicine – Issue 4 2024

The Incongruence of the Hidden Culture of Medicine

The past decade has been a time of great change for Western doctors. Many doctors feel that the care delivery system has become a barrier to providing high-quality care rather than facilitating it. Although doctor distress and some of the contributing factors are now widely recognised, much of the distress doctors are experiencing is related to insidious issues affecting the cultures of the profession,healthcare organisations and the healthcare delivery system. This is a shortened version of the original article.

Modern Medicine – Issue 3 2024

Negotiating the Minefield of Power Relations in Medicine

“Knowledge is power. The real test of knowledge is not whether it is true but whether it empowers us. Scientists usually assume that no theory is 100% correct. Truth, consequently, is a poor test for knowledge. The real test is utility. A theory that enables us to do new things constitutes knowledge.”― Francis Bacon, Neues Organon, Volume 11.

Modern Medicine – Issue 2 2024