Hallberg's Picture of Health: What's our goal for care?
What should be the goal of health care? Sounds like a simple question, but it's not.
A recent editorial by Dr. Thomas H. Lee in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, argues "Zero Pain Is Not The Goal."
"Quality does not mean the elimination of death or perfect compliance with guidelines," Lee writes. "And compassion for patients does not mean the elimination of all pain."
MPR News' regular medical analyst Dr. Jon Hallberg took on this same question and gave his thoughts on Lee's piece, including how its ideas play out in practice.
To hear the full conversation between Hallberg and All Things Considered host Tom Crann, use the audio player above.
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