commentary
KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM: PASS IT FORWARD
BY LAWRENCE F. BUXTON, MD I have practiced neurology for 40 years and am still going strong. Retirement would not be a palatable option. I hope along the way I have acquired sufficient knowledge in my specialty and I have gained wisdom. Wisdom and knowledge are differ-
ent. Wisdom has been defined as “the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of ex- perience, knowledge, and good judg- ment.” In contrast, knowledge has been defined as the “facts, informa- tion, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education, the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.” I recognize the difference. In the
practice of medicine, one could appre- ciate the paraphrased Chinese prov- erb: if you could only put an old man’s head on a young man’s shoulders. I wonder what happens to the
wisdom and knowledge acquired by physicians when they retire. Do these valuable assets float around their brains in neural networks until amyloid excess renders them useless?
What a terrible waste — huge amounts of valuable tools that could continue to be used. One day, the physician is wrestling with a difficult differential diagnosis, and then on the first day of retirement, he’s driving back from er- rands at Wal-Mart looking forward to the U.S. Open. What if that physician could retire
and continue to use his knowledge and wisdom in a most meaningful way — to improve the current state of health care in Texas? Let me pose an embryonic idea. We (the physicians of Texas) could organize a consultation service composed of retired or semi- retired physicians who could provide brief consultations to health care pro- fessionals (young physicians in prac- tice, nonphysician practitioners, and others) by telephone, fax, or email throughout the state. A roster would be created by medi-
cal specialty or subspecialty, listing the names and contact information of members of the group. A group such as the Texas Medical Association could circulate the roster to mem- bers. We could create time schedules
so callers would know what days and times consultants are available. The concern of medical liabil-
ity looms in an ominous way. Even though the Consultation Service (a possible name for the group) would be done on a charity basis, it would not lower legal exposure to its members. Discussions with TMA and the phy- sician members of the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate would be in order. Communication with the Texas Medical Board would be enlightening, as well. Sea changes in the laws may be needed for this kind of program to be feasible. I don’t know the experiences of my colleagues dealing with young physi- cians and nonphysician practitioners, but my experience is that they are all crying out for help, guidance, and thoughtful backup for their patients. Often, the challenging patient is sent to the local emergency department. That action often just increases costs. In the meantime, the huge amount
of knowledge and wisdom possessed by retired and semiretired physicians is being squandered and wasted. What a waste for the human condition and the human spirit. The question one should ask about
the embryonic idea discussed above is not why but, rather, why not? n
LAWRENCE F. BUXTON, MD, is president
of the Burnet-Lampasas County Medical Society and a delegate to the Texas Medical Association.
Wisdom and knowledge are different. November 2015 TEXAS MEDICINE 15
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