I treat myself to the same restaurant for breakfast once or twice a month. There she is again, the same waitress with those same sad eyes. She knows my name, but I don’t know hers. Sometimes she has a bruise on her forehead or bruises up and down her arms, and I can see through her makeup.
My heart aches because even though I don’t know her, I know her. It’s …
When I was doing my transitional year in internal medicine, I was essentially bullied for going into diagnostic radiology by my co-residents and the internal medicine attending doctors I worked with. They used to tell me that my “forever job” would be to sit on a chair in a dark room and dictate “correlate clinically” all day long. And I would immediately argue: No! That’s terrible! I would never do …
My mother passed away in early December. She had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for several years. Her communication was poor due to the disease. The caregivers in the memory care unit where she was located stated that she had been vomiting the night before her death. The next morning, she was moaning, and they believed she was in pain. An ambulance was called, and she was taken to the local …
As the internet has become increasingly accessible, many individuals have turned to online platforms, such as ChatGPT and “Doctor Google,” to search for information about their symptoms and health concerns. While these resources can help provide individuals with a general understanding of their symptoms, there are risks associated with self-diagnosis and relying on online resources for medical advice. Another trend is patients inadvertently putting their personal medical information at risk …
The World Health Organization (WHO) first declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on January 30, 2020, when, outside of China, there were fewer than 100 cases, and there were no deaths. This formal declaration by the WHO has been renewed 12 times, most recently last month the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee advised the WHO that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to be …
An excerpt from Justice in the Age of Judgment: From Amanda Knox to Kyle Rittenhouse and the Battle for Due Process in the Digital Age.
In the early 1970s, a group of researchers at Stanford University placed advertisements in a newspaper offering two dollars to people who would participate in an …
We’ve all been there, sitting in a virtual meeting, our eyes glaze over, and our minds wander as yet another PowerPoint slide drones on. The experience can make even the most dedicated health care professional question the value of meetings altogether.
But in health care settings, meetings can be a matter of life and death. Physicians and health care administrators are tasked with managing complex care teams, staying up-to-date on …
“We appreciate your tireless efforts in these difficult times.”
Eyeroll. No, you don’t. I don’t need another meeting or committee. I don’t need a “Burn-Out Committee Action Plan.” I don’t need a “token of appreciation”— a pair of socks? (Really? How much did that cost?) I don’t need another seasoned and respected nurse leaving to travel and make bank or going to some made-up administrative role. I don’t need to come …
According to Chris Jordan, a New Jersey shore native who writes about music and entertainment, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed “like their lives depended on it” when they recently kicked off their 2023 tour in Tampa, Florida early February. The tour will keep the 73-year-old Springsteen on the road for six months, playing a total of 62 concerts, proving that mortality can be a …
You sigh as you see the name on the next chart. “Good grief, this poor woman,” you think as you place your hand on the doorknob.
“Doctor, I really tried. I really tried this time!” she sobs.
“Cheryl, I know you did. But you’ve got a disease, and you need treatment.”
“Doc, I can’t go back there again. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. I’m going to lose my job. I can barely …
Recently, I heard a news report regarding several state attorneys general suing the federal government to eliminate the requirement that health care providers be immunized against COVID. They argued that as fully immunized individuals still contract COVID, and that allowing unimmunized people to be rehired would relieve provider shortage, the regulation was unhelpful.
Initially, I agreed, as rehiring these individuals would generate some relief for those staff members who have worked …
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What’s one of the biggest complaints we physicians have about the current state of our jobs? It’s that we’ve lost our autonomy, that it has been taken from us by a health care system more focused on profits than on the well-being of patients and ourselves.
As a physician, you know firsthand how dysfunctional health care has become. There is abundant evidence that the modern health care system is more than …
An excerpt from Honest Aging: An Insider’s Guide to the Second Half of Life. Copyright 2023. Published with permission of Johns Hopkins University Press.
The key to aging well lies within you, the attitudes and responses you have to growing older and entering old age. Yes, there will be inevitable physical …
I finally found time after retirement to clean out my nurse’s book bag. It contained items such as a stethoscope, extra playing cards for patients, highlighters, various pens, a penlight, a notebook with important phone numbers throughout the health care system, tourniquets for IVs, and a plastic whistle.
This health care system, which has a revenue of $5 billion per year and spans throughout America, is quite complex. Let me explain.
The …
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Americans are accustomed to tipping for a wide array of services. We understand that our gratuity makes up an important percentage of the wages earned by many different types of laborers: massage therapists, Uber drivers, hair stylists, tour guides, room service providers, valets — the list goes on. Much of the time, we don’t just add a tip because we’re adhering to a cultural norm but rather because we genuinely …
A long inglorious history of medical racism and mistreatment has dire health consequences. Consider the atrocities associated with experimentation on African Americans without informed consent during the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-1972), which eroded the trust in the medical profession and medical research, and undermined the nation’s ability to achieve health equity.
Medical mistrust continues to worsen due to the negative health care experiences African Americans still endure today. For …
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In this episode, we welcome Alan Lindemann, an obstetrics-gynecology physician, to discuss the issue of autonomy and treatment for elderly patients. He shares his experiences in the long-term care setting, and the disturbing trend of interpreting do …
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An excerpt from The Algorithm Will See You Now.
Jacie shoved her glasses up her nose. “For those not selected, when PRIMA gives its report, or whatever… and if it says the treatment won’t work, how do you tell the patient?”
“We don’t.” Hope paused. “That’s the nurse’s job, of course.”
Cecilia gave …
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