Doctor Profile: Michael C. Doarn, MD

Dr. Doarn: I’m Dr. Michael Doarn. For me, the human body is really amazing. But the hand is really very intricate. It’s this dynamic tool, and the anatomy of the upper extremity really is truly amazing and intriguing to me. Hi, how’s it going?

Respondent: Good.

Dr. Doarn: I’m Dr. Michael Doarn, nice to meet you.

Respondent: Fine, how are you?

Dr. Doarn: We can take care of pediatrics all the way to the elderly. It’s a variable amount of things you can do. You meld different types of surgery into one, including joint surgery, microsurgery, trauma. Kind of (00:33 unclear) which part of the hand. Carpal tunnel, like when I was doing this, would cause you tingling and numbness. The approach that I have really is centered around patient education, so when a patient comes in for whatever problem they have, whatever concern they have, first listening to the patient, understanding their issue and treating their problem as a team-based approach, including the surgeon, the patients themselves and their family, nursing and staff (01:00) to really understand the issue, educate them on their options and move forward with the best treatment for them. We learn from our previous patients. We learn from research, from education, our training. The ultimate goal for care of patients is really to understand what their issue is, to have realistic goals from the surgeon and patient standpoint, and to get them back to their life, their activity, their work as quickly as we can, and have the same type of function prior to their injury or their surgery. My goal is to talk with you, understand your issues, and really work together to improve that. I give you the best options and best outcome possible. What I love the most about taking care of patients in the upper extremity really is the interactions I get to have with people, the development of relationships and really making an impact on their life.