Why doctors don't do much good, and how you can do more
Why doctors don’t
do much good, and
how you can do
more
Dr Gregory Lewis
EA Global Oxford
20/11/2016
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Contours of health and disease
3. What does medicine contribute?
4. My research
5. A comparison to charitable giving
6. Peregrinations
7. Where to go next
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Contours of health and disease
3. What does medicine contribute?
4. My research
5. A comparison to charitable giving
6. Peregrinations
7. Where to go next
Lewis (2006)
I want to study medicine because of a
desire I have to help others, and so the
chance of spending a career doing
something worthwhile I can’t resist. Of
course, Doctors don’t have a monopoly
on altruism, but I believe the attributes
I have lend themselves best to
medicine, as opposed to all the other
work I could do instead.
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Contours of health and disease
3. What does medicine contribute?
4. My research
5. A comparison to charitable giving
6. Other peregrinations
7. Where to go next
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Contours of health and disease
3. What does medicine contribute?
4. My research
5. A comparison to charitable giving
6. Other peregrinations
7. Where to go next
Bunker’s approach
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #2 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #3 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #1 most commonly
used medical intervention
Trial data for length and quality of
life benefits for #n most commonly
used medical intervention
Total impact of medicine
Bunker’s bottom line
5 Years extended lifespan 5 QALYs
5 Years ‘free from disability’ 2.5 QALYs
0.5 Years lost (medical error) - 0.5 QALYs
Grand total 7 QALYs
Average ‘per person benefit’ in the US
‘Per person’ QALY benefit 7
Number of people in UK ~ 62.6 million
Number of doctors in UK ~ 172 000
Impact per doctor 2250 QALYs
(~~ 2 lives saved
each year)
‘Saving a life’ ~ 30 QALYs, career of 40 years
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Contours of health and disease
3. What does medicine contribute?
4. My research
5. A comparison to charitable giving
6. Other peregrinations
7. Where to go next
More marginal marginal
returns…
𝑦 =
5 × 106
8.96 + 𝑥
+ 25060
DALYs @ UK Docs (289 / 100k) =
26738
DALYs @ UK Docs +1 =
26732
Impact of another UK doctor ~ 6
DALYs per year, ~ 240 per career
How much good do doctors do?
Method D/QALYs
Bunker 2250
( 80 lives)
Scatterplot 240
(8 lives)
Regression 105
(4 lives)
Statistical rigour
True value even lower?
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Contours of health and disease
3. What does medicine contribute?
4. My research
5. A comparison to charitable giving
6. Peregrinations
7. Where to go next
Chequebook > Stethoscope
/ Cost per AMF QALY (£64) = 4375 QALYs
40 years * 10% of £70000 = £280 000
~ 45x my ‘direct’ work over this period
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Contours of health and disease
3. What does medicine contribute?
4. My research
5. A comparison to charitable giving
6. Peregrinations
7. Where to go next
What about working abroad?
UK doctors per capita (289)
Angola doctors per capita (8)
Maybe 10 – 100x
the impact in the
UK.
(But much more
heroic than giving
10%!)
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Contours of health and disease
3. What does medicine contribute?
4. My research
5. A comparison to charitable giving
6. Peregrinations
7. Where to go next
Maxims for maximising
medical munificence
1. You can’t make a big difference
one patient at a time.
2. Almost all medical careers that
make a big difference are going to
be unconventional.
Lewis (2016)
Giving around 30% (should be more!)
Year 1: About £10 000
~ 160 QALYs
(So probably more good than my
future medical career)
Now a Public Health academic Doc.
To close
1. The pretty modest impact of
medical careers is bad news for
doctors; the very immodest impact
of charity is good news for
everyone!
2. Common sense is not always a good
guide for what to do with your life.
3. You can make a big difference