Presenteeism makes the Sunday NY Times

As regular readers know, “presenteeism” (coming to work while sick and potentially infectious) is a frequent topic on this blog. It’s nice to see the issue getting wider attention, this weekend in the pages of the New York Times. Go ahead and read Danielle Ofri’s excellent piece on the topic, from which I’ve pasted a couple quotes below:

“This, of course, is ridiculous behavior on the part of medical professionals who would never recommend such nonsense to their patients. Medical workers with respiratory infections are contagious. Caregivers with gastrointestinal infections — as I had — can easily infect their patients. ….  

What we can do, however, is examine the existential qualms that doctors have about illness. From the beginning of medical school it is important to advance the idea that illness is a part of all of us — doctors and patients alike; that there is very little that separates us from our patients, other than the circumstance of the moment; and, for goodness’ sake, that we need to call in sick when we are sick.”