Understanding patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs promotes healing
Religious and spiritual experiences have shaped my worldview since I was a teenager. At age 13, I celebrated my bar mitzvah. Later that year, I underwent an appendectomy. A priest asked my mother if he could pray for me prior to the operation. My mother did not hesitate to accept the priest’s blessing. I learned at an early age that prayers for one’s well-being should be welcomed regardless of …
How to deal with challenging patients
Dealing with challenging patients can be difficult and stressful for doctors and health care professionals.
It can be helpful to remember that they can be difficult for a variety of reasons, such as pain, fear, confusion, or unmet expectations that were expressed or not — reasonable or not. To effectively handle challenging patients, a few key points must be kept in mind.
Remain calm and professional. This will help keep the situation …
Learn to earn end-of-life respect
Pele, the famous Brazilian soccer star, reportedly stopped medical treatment for colon cancer. Media outlets stated he was receiving various iterations of comfort, hospice, and palliative care which were perceived as criminal and disrespectful. His daughter denied these allegations on Instagram.
How often are those with serious illnesses treated like criminals for wrongdoing?
When medical treatment is withdrawn or withheld, it seems the person has lost the battle or chose not …
How a positive staff helped an uncertain hospital stay [PODCAST]
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“Hospitals and health systems should bolster the skills of care teams through education to improve patient outcomes by minimizing variations in obstetric care and being equipped to prevent, identify, and address any possible maternal emergency. Our obstetrics …
Clinicians serving under-resourced populations should seize opportunity for free lifestyle medicine education
As a pediatrician serving under-resourced families in Washington, D.C., I was glad to see health leaders converge for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Solutions to food insecurity and diet-related diseases are urgently needed to address the crisis of chronic disease, which afflicts six in 10 Americans.
One of the important issues discussed at the conference is the critical need for more education and training in nutrition …
How to prevent a frivolous medical malpractice lawsuit
There are 50,000 medical malpractice lawsuits filed per year. Each doctor has a 5 percent chance of being sued each year, and every doctor will be sued at least once in 20 years. 70 percent of medical malpractice lawsuits are non-meritorious and are dropped. These represent 35,000 frivolous lawsuits. Until now, there is no way to prevent a frivolous medical malpractice lawsuit.
America is a litigious society. The medical liability …
The emotional side of CPR: Reflecting on the challenges of resuscitation in the wake of Damar Hamlin’s collapse
First, I want to extend my thoughts, wishes, and prayers to Damar Hamlin, his family, and his teammates. Seeing his collapse on television stirred many emotions in me; I can’t imagine what those who were on the field or in the stadium experienced.
As a pediatric emergency physician, I can tell you that anything related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is difficult. America got a real glimpse of the horrors of CPR …
My journey parenting with chronic depression as a physician mom
I remember feeling like I was on an island, and any time I separated from her and put her down, I frantically looked around for her, daydreaming she was lost at sea.
When I was pregnant, everything was contained and controlled. Her womb gymnastics, even at night, were welcome interruptions to my sleep.
It was my first time breastfeeding, and even though I was a pediatrician, getting her to get a good …
Treating rare, multi-system illnesses [PODCAST]
Breaking the silence: a doctor’s plea for clarity in end-of-life care
Six years ago, I met a man who was 93 years old. I sat down to listen to him, something we physicians don’t do as often as we should in the long-term care setting.
“I want you to treat me like I’m 73,” he said,
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I don’t want to be denied treatment just because I am 93 years old. I want you to give me the same …
Care aides in long-term care were traumatized during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on long-term care in Canada. During the first two waves in 2020, over 80 percent of all Canadian COVID-19 deaths happened in long-term care homes. While vaccination and policy changes have helped to reduce the number of deaths, long-term care homes are still experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and severe staffing shortages.
The people who provide front-line care to our most vulnerable seniors in long-term care have experienced …
Timely treatment decisions: the promise of surrogate markers
Driving around, searching for children’s Tylenol and a pharmacy that had the antibiotics my son needed, was not how I wanted to spend the holidays. I am not alone – shelves are bare, and antibiotics are in short supply as we head into the new year in the midst of a triple threat of COVID-19, flu, and RSV.
While this drug shortage is incredibly frustrating, at least there is …
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Why the internet of things (IoT) must pivot to achieve health care potential [PODCAST]
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“In many ways, internet of things (IoT) is a double-edged sword: connected devices are capturing huge volumes and varieties of data that can be mined for everything from potentially life-saving health care information to guidance toward peak …
Why perfectionists in medicine need to practice compassion
I recently read the article, “Perfectionism will kill you.”
Our perfectionism is often worn like a badge of honor. It signifies our complete commitment, at times at the expense of others. Wanting to do your best job is what drives “good” perfectionism. Woody Allen quipped, “80 percent of life is just showing up.” And the other 20 percent is reserved for perfectionists.
Success often comes from attention to detail, something perfectionists …
From cough to cancer: one woman’s determination to find answers and relief
My mom is putting garlic oil in her ears because her house cleaner told her it would help with her recent hearing loss. When I asked her why she was continuing to do this even after being assessed by two physicians, including an ear, nose, and throat specialist, she just shrugged and told me she wants to fix the problem.
You see, she has recently been through a difficult six months …
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Tragedy strikes Monday Night Football as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest. Is commotio cordis to blame?
A shocking scene during the Monday night football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. According to the New York Times:
During a Monday Night Football game, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin tackled Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. After the tackle, Hamlin quickly stood up and took a few steps before collapsing and becoming unconscious. Medical personnel administered CPR and attended to Hamlin for 10 minutes before …
Keep the faith: Why the role of spiritual care in health care is critical
This time of year, advice abounds on how to develop New Year’s resolutions that last. Some assert the need for resolutions and goals that reflect the deep desire for meaning-making, living life to the fullest extent possible, and establishing healthier, fuller lives moving forward.
Spiritual care is an essential part of any health care resolution.
Some describe a recent Journal of the American Medical Association study as “the most rigorous …
Secrets from a physician-entrepreneur [PODCAST]
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“Health care has changed dramatically in the last decades, from the introduction of electronic medical records to the COVID-19 pandemic serving as a catalyst for telehealth and virtual care options to the increased familiarity with digital therapeutics, …
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Reflections from a (former) self-compassion and boundary setting skeptic
Self-compassion does not make you soft. Boundaries do not make you closed off or selfish.
I had to repeat this many times before I started to understand how true and how essential self-compassion and boundaries are in our lives.
I did not realize how much I maintained my resistance to these ideas until Dr. Brené Brown provided her research findings at a conference held in Houston this year. Dr. Brown shared her …
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Past Week
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how
-
Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
-
The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
-
A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?
-
Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
-
Recent Posts
-
The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
-
Why great patient outcomes don’t protect female doctors from burnout [PODCAST]
-
Why ADHD in women is finally getting the attention it deserves
-
How a $75 million jet brought down America’s boldest doctor
-
Why ruling out sepsis in emergency departments can be lifesaving
-
The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
-
