Season 2 Episode 31: The Blame Game
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music
The Blame Game
This week, Alex and Mary discuss the harmful effects of patient blaming, when a medical professional, friends, family, or self-help authors infer, suggest, or outright say something akin to, “If you had a better attitude, you could beat cancer” or “Maybe if you had lost weight, you wouldn’t have gotten diabetes” or “You should have gone to the doctor sooner, before you got cancer.” Their discussion was inspired by Kate Bowler’s journey through colon cancer, after having been diagnosed at the age of 35. Why does patient blaming exist and what can we do about it?
Episode Highlights
Welcome back! [0:40]
Please subscribe, rate, review, and follow us! [1:10]
Patient Blaming [2:28]
Kate Bowler [2:54]
The Today Show [3:10]
Self-help books that blame [4:30]
Toxic positivity [7:30]
It’s ok not to be ok [8:18]
A doctor’s genuine apology [9:05]
TX Heart Institute Journal [10:55]
Peabody’s Corner [11:10]
Francis Weld Peabody [11:15]
Patient Care [11:25]
Cardiac Consult [13:23]
Digoxin [14:03]
Placebo effect [16:02]
Emphasis is on disease rather than patient [18:09]
Obesity [18:58]
Lung cancer bias [19:55]
Shame and blame [20:22]
Character defect [21:55]
Non-compliant [22:16]
Physician bias ]22:50]
Where do you draw the line? [23:26]
Disparity in funding [24:08]
Relationship between behavior and disease [25:02]
Medical malpractice and patient blame [26:08]
Grey’s Anatomy [28:20]
Importance of healthy lifestyle [29:10]
Patients should get best care [30:35]
Valuable lessons to be learned [31:45]
Update on Kate Bowler [32:45]
Thanks for listening! [33:15]
Stay Connected
Instagram:@downthereaware
Facebook: Down There Aware
Twitter: @downthereaware
Pinterest: Down There Aware
Tiktok: Down There Aware
Links Mentioned in the Episode
When All Else Fails, Blaming the Patient Often Comes Next (Published 2008)
Blaming the Patient: A Common Defense Tactic
Perspective | What happens when the doctor blames you for your own cancer?
Flying Blind: Why Do We Keep Blaming The Victims Of Medical Errors?
"Everything happens for a reason" -- and other lies I've loved | Kate Bowler
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3233310/pdf/20111200s00004p620.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3233310/pdf/20111200s00004p620.pdf
Summary Keywords
Podcast, Spotify, Anchor, research, advocacy, advanced imaging, diagnosis, knowledge, women, fear, symptoms, patient blaming, medical malpractice, toxic positivity, Kate Bowler, behavior bias, lung cancer, patient care