When the doctor’s office becomes a confession booth
“I made a big mistake a long time ago.”
These words snapped my concentration. I squinted at the computer screen, and even though it had been stable, I waited for Cindy’s pancytopenia to collapse entirely. I enjoyed seeing Cindy, the kind of patient who trusted my counsel and, just as importantly, needed my help. Sweet and cute, she gave me a real hug and a genuine smile every time I saw …
How Enhanced Recovery After Surgery solves our opioid problems
In retrospect, we were an addicted nation waiting to happen. Not from a self-indulgent culture, not from an unwillingness to suffer hardship, nor any of the generational criticisms of lack of grit. Our opioid crisis derives from an impatient culture that fears loss of health more than health care profit. With pain as most people’s proxy for health, we were …
Princess and the pauper: Both deserve health privacy
The sad news of Princess Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis is a sound reminder of the sanctity of a person’s health status and their right to privacy.
I wasn’t sure which adjective I should use to describe Kate’s diagnosis – “sad,” “tragic,” or “devastating.” All are equally true, depending on whose perspective you consider. No doubt a cancer diagnosis is “sad” in the public’s eyes and even harsher in Kate’s. In my …
Finding peace in the face of loss: a father’s journey with hospice
How do you make sense of someone dying? The only way I know is to put it into some context so that, if possible, some good can come of it.
Some of you may have known about my dad’s Parkinson’s disease. He’s had a fairly rapid decline over the past four months, and now he’s rapidly declining again. He has been on home hospice for the past three months. He has …
Physician scrutiny: legal challenges and career impact [PODCAST]
From doctor to family: Witnessing both sides of end-of-life care
We all have those moments in medicine when we know that care has become more futile. Then we do everything in our power to educate, support, gently guide, and give permission to patients and families. There are moments that treating for a cure goes against our tenet to “first do no harm.”
I never would have imagined that I would be on the family side of these debates. I had a …
Can you predict Alzheimer’s? New research on early detection.
You can’t treat something until you know it’s there. Currently, there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but earlier diagnosis may lead to better understanding of how the disease inexorably progresses, which in turn may lead to prevention of AD and ultimately eradication of this horrific scourge. The latest breakthroughs in earlier diagnosis and even perhaps pre-diagnosis have involved lumbar punctures, brain MRIs, eye exams, and blood tests.
A 2024 study, …
Addressing physician workforce shortages [PODCAST]
Exploring pulmonary and ICU insights through cartoons
I’ve created cartoons using DALL-E, each with its own humorous caption. They’re all original ideas from me, but I used the AI to visualize them. Although they mostly touch on topics related to pulmonary and ICU medicine, I think they could catch the interest of a wide medical audience. Given the pulmonary theme, I decided to call the series Take a Breath.
Wendy Williams’s battle with health and the fragility of success
Lifetime recently premiered the documentary Where is Wendy Williams? This four-part special delves into the captivating life and career of Wendy Williams, the once dynamic 59-year-old American broadcaster, media personality, and writer. Renowned for hosting the nationally syndicated television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, from 2008 to 2021, Williams has left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.
The documentary follows Williams’s journey to revive her career after health concerns …
Improving care with AI-powered solutions
This article is sponsored by Nuance Communications, a technology pioneer with market leadership in conversational, ambient, and generative AI. Nuance is a Microsoft company.
Technological advancements have always played a pivotal role in enhancing the delivery of care and improving patient outcomes. …
Thin places: Where memories come alive
I was listening to Marty Smith of ESPN do the Fore Please, Now Driving podcast for the 87th Masters Golf Tournament this year. The discussion turned to how some places like the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, are just full of memories, ghosts, wisps of recollection, and echoes of voices and cheers long gone that sometimes seem to be brought forward and magnified in our own day and …
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From fear of loneliness to embracing solitude
Young children have different hobbies and preferences while playing in every part of the world. Some things are universal, but many are influenced by the culture of that specific area or the living conditions of that family. In the subcontinent, young girls are very fond of playing with dolls. Most of the time, these dolls are handmade by their moms or …
Physician mental health: Breaking the silence [PODCAST]
Medical school gap year: Why working as a medical assistant is perfect
The words “gap year” are enough to panic any high-achieving premedical student with their heart set on matriculating straight into medical school. Many students feel like a gap year will set them back in their journey to become a doctor, adding more years to the ever-long path to an MD behind their name. What these students do not realize is the value that a meaningful gap year, or more, can …
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AI adoption in health care: early adopters to late adapters
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) marks a pivotal change in the swiftly evolving health care landscape. The adoption curve of AI in health care mirrors the classic early adopters versus late adapters scenario seen in technology uptake. As an emergency room (ER) doctor with a futurist outlook, the comparison between human roles and AI is intriguing and pivotal for understanding and navigating the future of medical care.
Early adopters. These pioneers integrate …
Get over toxic situations by leaving them
“Get Over It” is a 1994 album track that marked the Eagles’ reunion after a 14-year hiatus. The tune reached number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The song was written by band members Don Henley and Glenn Frey (1948-2016). Henley is known for his biting, often cynical lyrics, and “Get Over It” is no exception. The song is a commentary on the ‘victim mentality’ that the songwriters felt was …
The spiritual crisis of the employed physician
Our physician coaching team and I have extensive experience working with thousands of doctors over the past 13 years who have approached us feeling burned out, exhausted, and uncertain about their future.
We have developed a structured method to assist them in recovering from burnout by focusing on new strategies aimed at constructing their ideal practice.
For years, we’ve recognized that these strategies can be categorized into seven distinct groups.
It has recently …
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Corporatization of medicine: Are patients and physicians the losers?
Despite technological and pharmaceutical improvements in the advancement of medicine, many changes that have occurred in the delivery of medicine during my 15 years of private practice in plastic surgery have had detrimental consequences for both patients and physicians. I will briefly review these changes and provide my perspective on the future of medicine in the United States.
The development of electronic health records, with the ability to access, chart, and …
Past Week
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
When grief hits all at once: a morning of heartbreak and love
-
Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training
-
Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
-
Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
Finding your medical specialty: Embracing uncertainty in clinical rotations
-
The medical malpractice system is broken: Who really benefits?
-
Recent Posts
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DSM-5 doesn’t name it, but moral distress is everywhere in medicine
-
How a restaurant principle can transform your patient care
-
The quiet segregation no one talks about in medical school
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C. Everett Koop’s defining stand against the tobacco industry [PODCAST]
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Not all heroes wear capes: Sometimes they just speak up in meetings
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Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
-
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Past Week
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
When grief hits all at once: a morning of heartbreak and love
-
Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training
-
Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
Finding your medical specialty: Embracing uncertainty in clinical rotations
-
The medical malpractice system is broken: Who really benefits?
-
Recent Posts
-
DSM-5 doesn’t name it, but moral distress is everywhere in medicine
-
How a restaurant principle can transform your patient care
-
The quiet segregation no one talks about in medical school
-
C. Everett Koop’s defining stand against the tobacco industry [PODCAST]
-
Not all heroes wear capes: Sometimes they just speak up in meetings
-
Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
-
