The July 7, 2015 edition of JAMA includes a moving and powerful essay from orthopaedic surgeon Alexandra Page, MD, titled “Stopping Time.”
We in orthopaedic surgery rarely stop to think about the important foundations of our personal and professional lives. Dr. Page’s very intimate story begs us all to pause, take stock, and be grateful. I thank her for sharing her story with our community, and I encourage everyone to read it.
Marc Swiontkowski, MD
JBJS Editor-in-Chief
Required Reading
Stopping Time, by Alexandra Page
We all lead stressful and hectic lives as orthopedic surgeons. The large majority of us care for musculoskeletal conditions that are painful, at times functionally limiting, but rarely life threatening. I believe that this patient population often puts us at risk to forget the human side of our jobs and is responsible for orthopedic surgeons reputation as “high tech, low touch” practitioners. Alexe Page has eloquently shared with us the aspect of medicine we so often miss. She describes the seemingly simple discomfort her husband and orthopaedic surgery partner experienced, suddenly becoming a diagnosis of metastatic esophageal cancer and leading to a rapid and untimely dearth. Understanding that every single patient we treat is an individual human being with a family that often shares their illness with them. WE often “miss the boat” when we simply focus on the presenting complaint and not the patient and their family.
Alexe has shared her experience with us to remind us all that we are caring for our fellow human beings and we must never lose site of this when we care for our patients.
I hope everyone reads her essay.