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Robert Teitge, MD, receives Patellofemoral Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
NEW ORLEANS — Robert Teitge, MD, received the Patellofemoral Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award during the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in New Orleans.
A senior staff physician at the Detroit Medical Center, Teitge is an advocate of critical thinking through constant and careful reading of the literature and by questioning everything. In an interview with Orthopedics Today, Teitge noted that basic science holds the fundamental foundations of medicine, but that “advancements in basic science and the problems we are confronted with are beyond our knowledge.”
“Consequently, much of what we do is based on opinion, but not on any facts and the idea of trying to put together some facts in a forum which is an intellectual foundation is good and necessary and that has always been my approach to medicine,” he said. “We realize that if we knew the answers, we would not have to have these forums, but just because we have these forums does not mean that we have the answers.”
Overall, Teitge said solid science needs to be dispensed as a message; however, he added that good science is rare.
“Extensive and brilliant work often fails to show us how to advance; breakthroughs do not exist. We usually advance through repeated measurements slowly reflected upon,” Teitge told Orthopedics Today. “Bad science contributes to bad medicine and ultimately undermines ethical behavior, which destroys professionalism.”
During his acceptance speech, Teitge also stressed the need to get away from a marketing world in medicine, which he believes “does society a disservice” by “selling hope rather than substance.”
“I am unconvinced that enhanced marketing of hundreds of millions of dollars of new products all unproven adds to a higher quality musculoskeletal care,” Teitge told Orthopedics Today.
He continued, “I can accept medical industrial support for research and education, but I am offended when every hospital and practice and physician is promoting itself as better, when in fact the average is still average and the ‘best’ only minimally above average.” – by Casey Tingle and Kristine Houck, ELS