Doctors should not blindly extrapolate data from research studies

Conditions
October 9, 2016

It is common practice in health care today for physicians to read articles published in leading journals within their fields and extract what they think is important for their patients. Though in most cases it is to the patient’s benefit that their physician stays up to date with the latest scientific advances, it is nonetheless important that doctors pay particular attention to research methodology and how generalizable these studies are …

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Doctors should not blindly extrapolate data from research studies

Physician parents, physician children. Why?

Education
September 25, 2016

Upon starting medical school, I remember feeling amazed to learn just how many of my classmates had physician parents. I felt like I was in the minority, not having any family members of my own who were doctors. This made me realize: Physician parents tend to breed physician children. But why? I soon discovered that the answer may lie in the genetics of personality.

The academic study of personality has grown extensively over …

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Physician parents, physician children. Why?

The day I saw the humanity in medicine

Education
September 13, 2015

At the heart of American medicine is the concept of bedside manner, and with it the concern that doctors are cold and unemotional. Indeed, doctors are exposed to disease and misfortune on a daily basis. A patient who presents with stage IV metastatic stomach cancer is just one of the many hundreds or thousands of such patients that will walk through the hospital doors in the coming years. Quotidian exposure …

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The day I saw the humanity in medicine

We need health care instead of disease management

Patient
September 22, 2013

I always wanted to become a medical doctor to cure the sick and save lives. In fact, most doctors I know chose the profession for the same reason. This fundamental desire among physicians to treat patients is because our beliefs have been deeply rooted in the concept of disease management rather than the provision of health care.

As an aspiring physician and student of health care, I often catch myself heading to …

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We need health care instead of disease management