Ask Dr. Ira Williams

The perfect analogy for the practice of medicine is a pilot flying a single engine airplane. Each student pilot is taught the science of flying an airplane. Each pilot, student or graduate pilot, provides their personal art of flying an airplane each time they take off and hopefully land safely. The exact same combination of science and art occurs each and every time a doctor treats a patient.

All medical care has three inherent characteristics: science, art and a standard of care.

Science of Medicine: Doctors are taught the science of medicine. Medical schools transform non-doctors into doctors. Other than rare exceptions, all current medical care has a basis derived from previous forms of medical care.
Art of Medicine: The art of medicine does now and has always existed. Every doctor provides their personal art to each patient they treat.

From a tonsillectomy to a heart transplant, each patient is like a painter’s fresh canvas, where the doctors practice their art of medicine. But, no doctor can tell you exactly what it is, or how to find and judge it.

Though the medical profession has failed to establish a means of identifying, defining and judging one of the two inherent characteristics of all medical care, it does not mean the art of medicine is intangible nor identifiable and capable of being judged.

Dr. Audiey Kao, AMA Vice-President, Ethics Standards said in 2002, “A not-so-famous man once said, ‘If you can’t measure it, it’s less likely to be important.’ In the case of good medicine, it is widely accepted that we need to measure how well physicians are providing clinical care so that we can continue to make improvements. I would argue that this logic applies not only to the science of medicine, but also in many important respects to the art of medicine - otherwise it simply becomes idealistic rhetoric. Leaders in medicine must work together to develop effective ways of imparting and evaluating the ethical skills and competencies of physicians.”

Organized Medicine’s lack of ability to identify, define and judge is one of the two missing links in the medical malpractice crisis.