A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.
Engaging personally with our health care system either as a patient or family member is usually an eye-opening experience for most physicians. It provides a glimpse of what those under our care likely deal with on a daily basis while attempting to manage …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
In many ways, the patient-physician relationship is seen as being mostly one-sided, with doctors possessing medical knowledge and wisdom, and patients with less medical information being in a position where they need a physician’s help and guidance in managing their health issues. Consequently, …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
The administrative burden associated with caring for patients in today’s health care system has emerged as a primary driver of the loss of joy in the practice of medicine and the epidemic of burnout among physicians.
No medical specialty is immune from the upward …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Of all medical specialties, perhaps the most difficult to understand is internal medicine.
While the name suggests that those who practice internal medicine focus primarily on non-dermatologic diseases of “Internal” organ systems (which in many ways is true), unlike other medical fields whose names …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Because I work for a medical specialty society, I’m frequently asked by non-members why I believe they should belong to a medical professional society. This is a particularly relevant question these days given the rapidly changing landscape of medicine and with physicians becoming …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
In the late 1800s, William Osler stated, “… if you want a profession in which everything is certain, you had better give up medicine.” He made this observation at a time when the science underlying health care was nascent, and little was understood …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
When talking with patients – particularly those with multiple, complicated medical issues – it often doesn’t take very long to hear about their increasingly suboptimal and sometimes harrowing interactions with our health care system.
Examples include inpatient experiences in which care is provided by …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
We are just now beginning to recognize the impact of isolation and loneliness on the health of our patients. Recent cultural and societal changes have led to markedly increased levels of isolation of our patients with a dwindling size and activity of their …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Much has been discussed in recent years around the concept of “practicing at the top of your license.” But what does this really mean?
The most common definition is that each medical professional’s routine activities should utilize the full extent of their education, training, …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
I distinctly recall during residency a much older and well-respected clinical teacher periodically opining that what was needed in a particular patient case was “a dose of the tincture of time.”
For those less familiar with more historic terminology, a tincture is an alcoholic …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Those of us who provide clinical care inevitably have patients who simply don’t do what we tell them. And this isn’t limited to only primary care but is encountered in all specialties and by subspecialists and consultants alike.
Not only can this be frustrating …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
Trust is the belief that another person or entity will act in your best interest, and it serves as the foundation upon which the doctor-patient relationship and our health care system are built.
But we have a significant trust paradox in American medicine. As …
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
I recently saw a 35-year-old patient of mine who came into clinic requesting brain imaging. Although she had no specific symptoms, she had a friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor several months ago and is concerned about the possibility that she …
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A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com.
It was actually a great diagnosis that led me to become an internist.
I distinctly recall a patient admitted to my service during my third-year internal medicine clerkship inpatient rotation. He was extremely sick and what was wrong with him had eluded multiple other …
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