Practical Effects Medicine
Practical effects is a movie term. The Wikipedia definition is "effects produced physically, without post production photographic manipulation or computer generation." Once the staple of movie-making: action scenes by skilled stunt men, pyrotechnics, realistic makeup, elaborate sound stages, props & miniature sets added realism to the story. Technology has changed all this. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) creates landscapes, structures and even virtual humans (& other creatures) that change and move, interacting with the "real" actors. Some of the effects in older movies now seem unconvincing or stale. Often the storyline pales, compared to power of spectacular CGI. And post production effects have become increasingly expensive.
In a way, 21st century medical practice is evolving this way. The model of a skilled practitioner creating practical effects (the patient-doctor interaction) is giving way to "patient plus tech equals results." Third parties such as health insurers and regulators have inflated the "costs of production". I am not against technology in medicine, or anywhere else in life. I just don't think it should obscure or replace hands-on medicine.
As a doctor practicing in the Internet Age, providing accurate health information is difficult, since before someone even sets foot in my office, they have been bombarded by aggressive product marketing, misinformed opinions on social media and various other socio-cultural forces that can undermine health and the patient-physician relationship.
In cinema, there is a gradual return to craftsmanship in recent films. No such trend in medical practice yet. Only by the combined efforts of patients and doctors can the right balance between the art and the science be rediscovered. In part, that is why I write here.
Okay, enough movie metaphors. This blog is for medical information & opinion by a doctor who still does practical effects medicine. Yes, I do my own stunts.
