Has medicine lost its why?
From the halls of ancient Greece to the heights of television screens, the myth that the physician is more god than mortal has stood the test of time. As such, we are held to moral and superhuman standards no matter how tough things get. And thanks to our friend Hippocrates, we are oath-bound in our virtues to help anyone in need; while putting OUR personal needs aside, of course. Many …
It’s called crying and it’s normal
Doctors treat people in all types of situations. Life or death. Sometimes both. Babies die, children die, and teenagers die. Women die. Men die. Sometimes you even have the misfortune of delivering a stillborn. Everyone experiences death, but for doctors, it’s part of our daily norm. Day after day, for decades throughout their career, we have to experience death and the pain of others. Beyond being knowledgeable and competent in …
Don’t lie about medical errors. Apologize.
Time of death: unknown.
It was around 6 p.m. on April 21, 2013.
My mom saw my grandfather dying slowly in the hospital bed.
She had pressed the nurse call button frantically over the last 20 minutes.
She rushed to the nurse station only to find out nobody was there.
She went back to my grandfather and spent the last three minutes with him.
She was the one who saw my grandfather’s bpm (beats per minute) …
Opioid-free orthopedic surgery [PODCAST]
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“How do we manage this? All patients meet with the physical therapist before surgery and within two days after surgery. They use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) before and after surgery. They get a regional anesthetic block …
The impact of hand surgery on human identity and expression
One weekend, while taking hand trauma call, we received a pre-arrival page about an incoming patient, a plastic surgeon, who had injured himself while moving a glass table. The information we received was devastating — a wrist laceration through the median nerve of his dominant hand. After his arrival in the ED and the formulaic introductions at the beginning of any encounter, he frankly asked, “So, honestly, do I need …
A holiday wish for lung cancer screening
In November, Mariah Carey defrosts for another holiday season with her iconic tune, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” and social media floods platforms with content about Black Friday and the holidays.
November is also Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of both men and women in the U.S. and worldwide. Lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, prostate, and colon …
The scientific race to defeat a deadly virus
An interview with David Quamman, author of Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus.
Rosenberg: After the publication of your 2012 book Spillover, in which the scientists you interviewed talked about expecting the “next big one,” I was surprised more people didn’t say, “Quammen told us so.”
Quammen: Actually, in Jan 2020 [as COVID-19 hit], I immediately got calls asking me how “I knew” this was going to …
Science impacts our lives more profoundly than we appreciate [PODCAST]
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“Scientific research impacts our lives, however, and much more profoundly than we generally appreciate. Considering the wide-ranging benefits, science is not just for scientists. Research discoveries are often translated to tools and applications down the road, usually …
A goodbye note to my suicidal teenagers
On the day before the last day at my last job, I reviewed my patient roster. Five of my seven most worrisome teenagers were currently admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a suicide attempt. This was not completely surprising. It is the fall. Teenagers notoriously struggle two to three months after starting school, getting into academic work, falling prey to bullying and stress, or not meeting their goals. But I …
Why every doctor needs a translator
Twenty years as a medical malpractice defense attorney has given me a superpower. I’m an extraordinary translator. In the courtroom, we occasionally hire translators to interpret when a witness speaks a language other than English. They help the jury understand the witness and collect the information they need to make a decision. But we need someone able to translate for the jury when a physician starts speaking “medicine.” This also …
The physician’s real problem isn’t burnout
I read an article recently suggesting that physicians were burned out from hearing about burnout. The proposed solution was to create systemic changes to help alleviate the burden of complexities of care that have polluted health care delivery. The solutions involved adding a team of individuals, including nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, pharmacy assistants, and other physician extenders.
Once again, rather than focus on the physician-patient relationship on which medicine is based, …
How this primary care doctor found his dream practice [PODCAST]
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A careless misdiagnosis. A death. A lawsuit.
They loved long walks through the woods in California. They were sweethearts in high school through college. If they wanted to take a break from their walks, the dogs would gang up on them and insist on continuing.
The trees, the skies, the quiet, the fresh smell of pine and wildflowers.
And on one clear blue sky day, Bill dropped down on bended knee and proposed to Jennifer. The breeze gently blew …
PTSD after medical education
Dear Art:
On Friday, June 11, 1982, members of the faculty convened to discuss the performance of the psychiatric residents during the last six (6) months. The following is a summation of their comments as they apply to your performance.
The faculty’s reaction to your performance was uniformly excellent. There was some comment on your earlier fear of the psychotherapeutic role, but the consensus was that this has improved markedly and that …
Protecting children from bad medical care
Unfortunately, at least from where I sit, suboptimal medical care seems to abound. And every encounter of my family members with the health care behemoth is an opportunity for them to become a recipient of it.
When it comes to shielding them, I have had some failures in the past — it took a minor stroke in my father, who lived in England, for me to realize that he had never …
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Top questions doctors ask health care attorneys [PODCAST]
Medical innovation: a serendipitous step toward gender equity
There has never been a better time to be a woman entrepreneur. With ever-growing numbers of venture funds specifically for women and nonprofits dedicated to advancing women in tech, the next Apple is ripe for the picking. However, there remains a wide chasm to cross. Currently, startups led by women command less than 3 percent of venture capital investment dollars.
Upon diving deeper into this disparity, a 2020 paper published by …
By failing to discuss strangulation, we are failing our patients
Six seconds is the amount of time it would have taken for him to render me unconscious.
Shortly thereafter, I might have lost my life.
One month before I finally found the strength to leave an abusive ex-partner, he rushed at me with unexpected force during an argument and wrapped his hands around my throat. I kicked desperately at his chest, terrified, heart racing, during what I believed might be my final …
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Managing key risk factors may lower your dementia risk
Close to 6 million adults in the U.S. are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia, according to CDC data. And that number will grow as the U.S. population ages. The number of people with Alzheimer’s and related forms of dementia is projected to increase to approximately 14 million over the next 38 years.
Dementia impacts not only the people who develop this condition but also …
Past Week
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What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
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Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
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The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
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The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
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Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]
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The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
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Past 6 Months
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What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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What happened to real care in health care?
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
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Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
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Recent Posts
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Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?
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Why personal responsibility is not enough in the fight against nicotine addiction
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How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care
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Alzheimer’s and the family: Opening the conversation with children [PODCAST]
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AI in mental health: a new frontier for therapy and support
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What prostate cancer taught this physician about being a patient
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Past Week
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
-
The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
-
The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
-
Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]
-
The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
-
Past 6 Months
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
-
Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
-
Recent Posts
-
Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?
-
Why personal responsibility is not enough in the fight against nicotine addiction
-
How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care
-
Alzheimer’s and the family: Opening the conversation with children [PODCAST]
-
AI in mental health: a new frontier for therapy and support
-
What prostate cancer taught this physician about being a patient
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