OPINION

Letters to the Editor - July 7, 2008

AOA president: DOs are responding to the need for more rural care - Beeper on, cell phone off

AOA president: DOs are responding to the need for more rural care

Regarding "Study: Med schools can boost rural physician supply," (AMNews, May 26): Your article draws attention to an issue of great importance to the medical community -- the need for more physicians in rural areas.

But because the article focused on a recent study, published in the March 8 Academic Medicine, it made reference to the need only for allopathic medical schools to create rural training programs. As the president of the American Osteopathic Assn. and an osteopathic physician, I would like to bring to your readers' attention the osteopathic medical profession's long awareness of the need for more rural physicians. We have responded not only by creating rural tracks in existing training programs but also by establishing entire colleges of osteopathic medicine in medically underserved communities.

Recognizing that physicians are likely to practice within the area they received their training, new colleges of osteopathic medicine have been established in recent years in some of the most underserved rural areas, including Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, Tenn., which opened in the fall of 2007, and the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, which welcomed its first class in 2003.

By the year 2020, it is estimated that there will be at least 100,000 DOs in medical practice. Osteopathic physicians will continue to serve in regions where increased access to health care is critically needed.

--Peter B. Ajluni, DO, president, American Osteopathic Assn., Chicago

Beeper on, cell phone off

Regarding "Twilight of the beeper: Today's technology offers other ways of keeping connected" (AMNews, June 9): I couldn't agree more with Harry Steinberg, MD, and others, about the use of the pager.

I still use a pager after 31 years in practice and last month used my cell phone under 50 minutes. Of course I find the cell phone a great convenience, but to me, the pager is more of one. My cell phone often doesn't receive signals inside buildings, and since I rarely keep mine on, there are times when I receive notices of voicemails 10 days later.

Friends, family and anyone I wish can contact me more easily by paging me, and between patients I can return the call. The pager tone is a lot less intrusive than some rock song, or march by John Philip Sousa, and I can shut off the beeping blindfolded.

Who hasn't been in a meeting where a cell phone has interrupted a speaker and then the doctor actually takes the call, making more of a disturbance? We've all had patients' phones ring while trying to examine them.

Another reason for me to use a pager is that a transposition of two numbers of my cell phone is a local motel. I got tired of getting phone calls wishing to make reservations or extend stays, so I just leave it off.

--David Lubin, MD, Tampa, Fla.