In a nation where the Hippocratic Oath stands as a sacred covenant, one expects the temple of healing to be a fortress of precision, expertise, and unerring competence. Yet, a recent pilgrimage to an academic hospital in our fair city unveiled a scene more akin to a comedy of errors than a sanctuary of science. I am a physician, though I refrain from proclaiming as much to my own doctors, …
Imagine walking through the hospital and seeing a colleague you haven’t worked with in years. The moment your eyes meet, a giant smile spreads across both of your faces—pure, genuine joy.
There’s an instant connection, an unspoken recognition of the experiences you shared. You remember the ease of collaboration, the unshakable trust in each other’s expertise. Teamwork at its best—fluid, energizing, and effective.
But over time, things shift. People move on in …
Pope Francis passed away this morning at the age of 88. Just weeks ago, he had spent 38 days hospitalized at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for what was described as “double pneumonia,” before returning to his Vatican apartment to recover.
Had he been an American hospitalized in the U.S., he might not have made it even that far.
As both a geriatric doctor and a patient, I have seen firsthand how the U.S. …
An excerpt from Under the Gun: An ER Doctor’s Cure for America’s Gun Epidemic.
My phone buzzed in the pocket of my blue jeans one Saturday night at around 10:30 p.m. as the standing-room-only crowd at Minute Maid Park, clothed in vibrant orange tones, erupted in cheers. It was game two of the 2019 American League Division Series playoffs between the Houston Astros …
A few months ago, the longshoremen’s union shut down 14 ports along the East and Gulf Coasts. This strike of dockworkers was costing the American economy up to $5 billion per day. The strike lasted 3 days, and there was an agreement to suspend the strike and continue negotiations in early 2025.
One of the issues pertained to restricting the use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to load and unload …
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Practicing internist and psychiatrist Muhamad Aly Rifai discusses his article “Criminalizing care: How the system turned on physicians.” He argues that physicians, historically pillars of trust, are increasingly being targeted and criminalized …
Shouting at student physicians is still a thing.
Justified as “teaching by humiliation.”
It is the worst form of “teaching” I have ever encountered.
Being asked questions aggressively,
Being ridiculed if you get the answer wrong,
Being shouted at, scolded.
All in front of other students, colleagues, and patients.
It’s embarrassing, undermining, and it crushes confidence.
It silences your voice.
Makes you question yourself.
Makes you want to cry.
It’s disempowering.
Almost 20 years later, I still remember it.
Six of us, wearing …
Recently, I found myself in need of surgery, a situation I had not faced in many years. The vulnerability I experienced as a patient was more intense than I ever anticipated. Despite my role as a doctor who often considers patients’ emotional well-being, I felt this. This experience brought me face-to-face with the emotional challenges that patients face in a new way. This perspective is crucial for all health care …
Every time I turn on the television, there’s another commercial for a new drug treating a condition I’ve never even heard of.
It’s constant. And honestly, it’s exhausting.
I can’t help but wonder: What happened to real care?
I remember a time, 35, maybe 40 years ago, when doctors knew your name. They looked you in the eye. They read your chart. They listened to what you had to say before deciding. They …
I didn’t know them well.
They were primary care doctors on the hospital staff where I served on the Medical Executive Committee. They provided care to the most vulnerable members of our community, both in the hospital and their offices. I feel guilty for not recognizing that each of them was personally suffering, as they took their own lives.
Losing lives of those saving lives is heartbreaking.
Doctors heal people. While most professions …
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General surgeon Arthur Williams discusses his article “A surgeon’s battle with ketamine-induced hallucinations.” He shares an account from his novel of an experience needing a pacemaker for a “janky heart” prone to …
In the previous article, I offered four ways (other than growth) a practice can compensate for declining reimbursements: improve efficiency, boost collection ratio, increase productivity, and consider a practice merger. As promised, here are four more.
Stay focused.
Focused strategies lead to better outcomes and lower costs. It is no accident that the best outcomes and lowest price for open-heart surgery are achieved …
An excerpt from Dr. Koop: The Many Lives of the Surgeon General.
“I’ve had two major messages that I’ve tried to get out to the public all my professional life,” Koop proclaimed. “One is to take charge of your own health. The other is that there is no prescription I can give you that is more valuable than knowledge … I’ve tried the non-profit world, …
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I absolutely hate prescribing medication to children.
I am quite worried when someone asks for my opinion on a sick child. I have some experience treating children during my internship and residency, yet I am pretty uncomfortable.
However, living in a lower middle-income country, where the average man already lives a difficult life due to high health care costs and limited income, health expenditure significantly impacts monthly finances. That is why people …
For years, empathy has been seen as a moral virtue that binds relationships, the antidote to pain and suffering while caring for patients. But lately, empathy is facing a surprising backlash in society and the medical profession. From being called “toxic” to being labeled outright as a “sin,” the virtue of feeling others’ pain is now under sharper scrutiny across ideological, psychological, and even religious groups within our society.
In caregiving …
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Internal medicine and infectious disease physician and author Joshua D. Hartzell discusses his article “Leading with care: How health care leadership can transform patient and provider well-being.” He addresses the crisis of …
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve typed out a broken heart emoji in response to yet another tragedy, I’d probably be able to take a break from work for a while. But here I am—because I love what I do despite it all.
There are many days my heart breaks.
Not in the cliché, romance-gone-wrong kind of way. It’s deeper than that. It’s …
A chilling incident from a past summer camp at Achimota School still resonates: A young woman collapsed with her life hanging in the balance. The male Red Cross prefect, attempting to administer potentially life-saving CPR, was quickly stopped by concerned students. The bystanders’ focus was on protecting her from exposure, and it overshadowed the urgency of the situation. This experience, now viewed through the lens of my medical training, reveals …
She was pale, underweight, fifty years old and scared. Mrs. G was a breast cancer patient on the oncology unit whom I met by chance, as she appeared on my patient census list that morning. As I walked into her room, I noticed the fragrant flowers, the cards scattered about her hospital tray, and the numerous pictures of her friends and family that attempted to bring her peace and comfort. …
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Surgeon and author Jeffrey A. Singer discusses his article “The FDA’s outdated prescription rules are failing women and opioid users.” He argues that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s requirement for prescriptions …
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