I received referral paperwork (not really paper anymore..) on a patient this week. In the packet of information was a letter which described that the clinical details regarding this particular patient had been presented at a local medical meeting and a particular consensus regarding diagnosis was reached. The "group" thought the Dx was X. Hmmm...How interesting. Just what did this mean?
Was there an actual vote taken regarding the diagnosis and if so, what exactly was the tally? Did this tally reflect an overwhelming majority, a simply majority or perhaps just some form of plurality (45%?, 25%? or other?). I have been to enough of these meetings to know for certain, no vote was taken. The consensus recognized was owned by everyone but really no one.
This phenomena is widespread within medicine. We value clinical discussions and there are a number of traditional venues where difficult cases are presented to various groups of experts and conclusions are drawn. It is a good idea but there are limits to its utility, especially when the desire for input morphs into groupthink where no one ultimately owns the decisions made. Is this process compatible with medicine in the 21st century?
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