A Doctor's Life as a Patient: Health Story
Aired on Superstation WGNSaturday, February 26 and April 23, 2005
Show 208
"I had three surgeries, one and a quarter years of chemo and many complications," says Pediatric Pulmonologist Dr. Geoffrey Kurland who practices at Pittsburg Children's Hospital and survived a rare form of leukemia. "Being a patient was a new role for me. I think being ill made me a better doctor," he says. In his book, My Own Medicine, Dr. Kurland says, "Medicine is not a perfect science. Physicians are just people. Honesty and trust are very important between doctor and patient. A patient has an obligation to tell a doctor what is important to them, what they want and what they can't do." Dr. Kurland also stresses, "Doctors need to give full disclosure to their patients and enlist their patients' help. They need to work together as a team. Doctors and patients have an obligation to each other."
For more about Dr. Geoffrey Kurland and his book, My Own Medicine, visit www.geoffreykurland.com.
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