Consider this: It’s 7 pm, you are a doctor, it’s cricket season, also the season of increased flow of patients in your OPD or hospital. You take a seat in your consulting room which is no less than a cricket pitch.
In comes your first patient, your first bowler for today’s match. You are the opening batsman and probably the only batsman, if you practice in your own clinic or hospital. Your patient starts bowling by throwing symptoms and signs towards you, you start batting by joining the dots and analysing the narrated symptoms. Patient after patient, you have to stay on the pitch and carry the innings. “Why do I have this symptom, Doctor”, “there is vomiting and there is also pain in the back”, “my paternal aunt also has similar symptoms, is this genetic?”. Questions and descriptions come in the form of yorker, googly and sometimes bouncer. But, you keeping striking and eventually, it’s a six! You reach the diagnosis. Sometimes, you also need a review from third umpire, the radiologist or lab technician.
The patients take your treatment, get cured and you have won the match or series even.
Interesting, isn’t it? How the game cricket and daily consulting practice of a Doctor have so many similarities! But, though there can be both a win or loss in cricket, same cannot be said in case of a Doctor’s practice.
Feel free to share your views, especially if you are a medico, a cricket fan or both!