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Hospital medicine

5,188 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 41

Physician voices

How the death of a patient affected this nocturnist

8

I am a nocturnist (a nocturnal hospitalist). I love my job, but many nights my work can seem unfulfilling. For one, taking care of hospitalized adult patients is primarily spent managing exacerbations of chronic diseases. Therefore, the reality is that…

I am a nocturnist (a nocturnal hospitalist). I love my job, but many nights my work can seem unfulfilling. For one, taking care of hospitalized adult patients is primarily spent managing exacerbations of chronic diseases. Therefore, the reality is that most patients will not be cured, only managed. Additionally, there is the loneliness factor, the incessant beeping of my pager, and the fact that I am forced to disturb the …

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How the death of a patient affected this nocturnist

Conditions and diseases

A nurse’s downfall was telling the truth

9

These events happened over 18 years ago. Some content has been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty. Searching for positive changes in the health care industry. We are not a number, and the patients are not a number.…

These events happened over 18 years ago. Some content has been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty. Searching for positive changes in the health care industry. We are not a number, and the patients are not a number.

I’m not good at lying. My eyes go to the left or look downward, and I start to stutter and pause. There is no eye contact, and I fall deep into …

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A nurse’s downfall was telling the truth

Physician voices

The powerful phrase that’s ruining medicine

29

Within the clinics, hospital corridors, and halls of medicine, a new phrase has emerged and taken hold of the practice of medicine. Whenever confronted with the challenging, inconvenient, undesirable, underinsured or maybe when just overwhelmed, health care personnel have begun…

Within the clinics, hospital corridors, and halls of medicine, a new phrase has emerged and taken hold of the practice of medicine. Whenever confronted with the challenging, inconvenient, undesirable, underinsured or maybe when just overwhelmed, health care personnel have begun to utter the phrase “I’m not comfortable with …”

Upon the utterance, all responsibility to the patient, institution or the honorable practice of medicine is immediately and completely discharged until the …

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The powerful phrase that’s ruining medicine

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Physician voices

8 things to watch for if you, or a family member, is hospitalized

3

Hospitals are busy, hectic, and unpredictable places. Professionals who work in health care are highly trained and competent individuals, and if you are receiving acute care in America -- the standard of your treatment and access to high-quality tests and…

Hospitals are busy, hectic, and unpredictable places. Professionals who work in health care are highly trained and competent individuals, and if you are receiving acute care in America — the standard of your treatment and access to high-quality tests and an array of specialists, is unparalleled (take it from someone who has worked in different countries). Nevertheless, the hospital experience itself, despite our best efforts, often falls short. Here are …

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8 things to watch for if you, or a family member, is hospitalized

Physician voices

Was she a doctor? Or was she a hack?

Separating fact from fiction had once been her favorite activity. Going over research with a fine-toothed comb, she caught the inaccuracies that riddled popular culture like unruly strands of hair. It came down to this simple algorithm: there were things…

Separating fact from fiction had once been her favorite activity. Going over research with a fine-toothed comb, she caught the inaccuracies that riddled popular culture like unruly strands of hair. It came down to this simple algorithm: there were things that could be proven and things that could not. In other words, there were things that would happen consistently given the same set of conditions, while other things were random. …

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Was she a doctor? Or was she a hack?

Physician voices

When doctors are poor explainers

10

A physician, like anyone, can be a poor explainer of things for several reasons, but foremost among these is the tendency to use medical jargon. This is not a problem unique to doctors. When I take my car in for…

A physician, like anyone, can be a poor explainer of things for several reasons, but foremost among these is the tendency to use medical jargon. This is not a problem unique to doctors. When I take my car in for repairs, I often must ask the mechanic to explain what is wrong in a way I can understand. I have a rudimentary understanding of what the various parts of the …

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When doctors are poor explainers

Physician voices

How Grey’s Anatomy made this physician into a better doctor

I am an obstetrician-gynecologist, and my favorite show is Grey’s Anatomy. I dare say I have not missed an episode since I started watching in 2006 (as a busy obstetrician, multiple shows are watched on DVR). I fell in love…

I am an obstetrician-gynecologist, and my favorite show is Grey’s Anatomy. I dare say I have not missed an episode since I started watching in 2006 (as a busy obstetrician, multiple shows are watched on DVR).

I fell in love with the show when, at random, I ended up watching the final episode of the second season when Izzie (a physician character from the earlier seasons) fell in love with Denny, …

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How Grey’s Anatomy made this physician into a better doctor

Physician voices

A physician’s love-hate relationship with her pager

When my colleagues and I reported for new intern orientation 19 years ago, we were given navy scrubs emblazoned with the residency program’s logo, a couple of creased and blindingly clean white coats, and, of course, a standard issue pager.…

When my colleagues and I reported for new intern orientation 19 years ago, we were given navy scrubs emblazoned with the residency program’s logo, a couple of creased and blindingly clean white coats, and, of course, a standard issue pager. I will admit that there was something thrilling about having my own tools of the trade; these accessories would identify me to the outside world as a doctor. I had …

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A physician’s love-hate relationship with her pager

Physician voices

When did people’s feelings start mattering more than patient safety?

14

As an elder millennial physician, I’ve been straddling two worlds, that of the “old-school” mentality of training and this newer one of “wellness.” I’ve become disheartened with new physicians being increasingly unable to tolerate any criticism by teaching faculty, even…

As an elder millennial physician, I’ve been straddling two worlds, that of the “old-school” mentality of training and this newer one of “wellness.” I’ve become disheartened with new physicians being increasingly unable to tolerate any criticism by teaching faculty, even when patient harm is at risk. However, it wasn’t until I was accused of bullying and bullying exclusionary by a group of colleagues — not trainees — that I grew …

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When did people’s feelings start mattering more than patient safety?

Physician voices

A fight this physician didn’t ask for

I have a story to tell. And it’s going to be hard to read. Would you believe me if I told you that the health care industry is not immune to the same gender disparities and discrimination we see all…

I have a story to tell. And it’s going to be hard to read. Would you believe me if I told you that the health care industry is not immune to the same gender disparities and discrimination we see all over the news these days? I realize it’s difficult to marry the medical field — with its up-to-the-minute technology and zealous quest to stay ahead of the curve, with something …

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A fight this physician didn’t ask for

Physician voices

“Hey, Sweetie.” When a physician’s #MeToo story involves a patient

19

Physicians have quietly shared stories about sexual harassment and microaggressions from patients for years. This year, Medscape published their first "Patients Sexually Harassing Physicians Report," where they found that one in four physicians had been sexually harassed by a patient…

Physicians have quietly shared stories about sexual harassment and microaggressions from patients for years. This year, Medscape published their first “Patients Sexually Harassing Physicians Report,” where they found that one in four physicians had been sexually harassed by a patient in the past 3 years. In the wake of #MeToo, some physicians have shared their personal stories of harassment by patients in the medical literature, and there …

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“Hey, Sweetie.” When a physician’s #MeToo story involves a patient

Physician voices

Appreciative and respectful of my privilege in caring for elderly patients

I dedicate this to each of you who have cared for or are currently caring for an ill parent or family member. Recently, due to the stress that several of my dearest friends have been experiencing in caring for their…

I dedicate this to each of you who have cared for or are currently caring for an ill parent or family member. 

Recently, due to the stress that several of my dearest friends have been experiencing in caring for their elderly parents, I am even more appreciative and respectful of my privilege in caring for elderly patients who have attentive and loving adult children who accompany them to our ER.

Although this …

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Appreciative and respectful of my privilege in caring for elderly patients

Physician voices

A tragic Fentanyl story without redemption

18

Matt was 40, my sister’s age. He was training for a marathon and trying to talk his many friends into joining. He lay in bed with his three-year-old son every night to help him fall asleep. It’s hard to sleep…

Matt was 40, my sister’s age. He was training for a marathon and trying to talk his many friends into joining. He lay in bed with his three-year-old son every night to help him fall asleep. It’s hard to sleep train a toddler with a newborn to nurture at the same time, but he loved spending this time with his two kids and being the dad everyone counted on.

Matt’s best …

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A tragic Fentanyl story without redemption

Physician voices

6 essential tips (and more) that I never learned in medical school

1. Cover your patients It was my first year of practice. One day I saw a new patient, a 25-year-old man with hemorrhoidal pain. My nurse told him to disrobe and put on a lap sheet. When I entered the…

1. Cover your patients

It was my first year of practice. One day I saw a new patient, a 25-year-old man with hemorrhoidal pain. My nurse told him to disrobe and put on a lap sheet. When I entered the room, I was surprised to see that the young man was sitting on the exam table, naked from the waist down. The lap sheet sat neatly folded on the table behind …

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6 essential tips (and more) that I never learned in medical school

Physician voices

Fixing burnout among hospitalists is a leadership challenge

6

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.” - Mahatma Gandhi Burnout among physicians is at an epidemic proportion. National data suggests that more than 50 percent of our workforce is burned…

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Burnout among physicians is at an epidemic proportion. National data suggests that more than 50 percent of our workforce is burned out, and this trend has been across the board from physicians in training to practicing physicians. Some of the specialties are more affected than others. Repercussions of provider burnout on health care …

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Fixing burnout among hospitalists is a leadership challenge

Physician voices

In medicine, maternal discrimination is real

5

“Why did you wait to schedule this meeting until September, why not July or August?" Candidly, I replied, "I have a family and being on nights, spending those 90 minutes with them a day is very important to me." It…

“Why did you wait to schedule this meeting until September, why not July or August?” Candidly, I replied, “I have a family and being on nights, spending those 90 minutes with them a day is very important to me.” It was then, behind closed doors, in an office where he held all of the power that he said: “You know, I don’t think women with families make as good of …

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In medicine, maternal discrimination is real

Physician voices

Reminding ourselves why we practice medicine

Going to medical school was a dream come true. I was excited; I couldn't wait. I spent my childhood dreaming about it. It was this amazing fantasy in my head where nothing was impossible, and I would be able to…

Going to medical school was a dream come true. I was excited; I couldn’t wait. I spent my childhood dreaming about it. It was this amazing fantasy in my head where nothing was impossible, and I would be able to help thousands of people, maybe millions? Biology, physiology, chemistry, physics — they resonated with me. I could not imagine doing anything else. I loved meeting new people. I loved learning …

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Reminding ourselves why we practice medicine

Health technology

Carefully consider every aspect of the integration of AI into health care

AI, artificial intelligence, is all the rage right now in medical news media. And this has many practicing physicians, even medical students, concerned. Will AI make diagnose heavy specialties such as dermatology and radiology obsolete? Can AI give rise to…

AI, artificial intelligence, is all the rage right now in medical news media. And this has many practicing physicians, even medical students, concerned. Will AI make diagnose heavy specialties such as dermatology and radiology obsolete? Can AI give rise to new medical specialties? How many tasks traditionally done by doctors will now be handled by AI?

I believe that there is a right to be worried. We do not have any …

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Carefully consider every aspect of the integration of AI into health care

Physician voices

The win-win solution for patient satisfaction

2

People are told by big media that doctors will probably hurt you and you will never see it coming. They are told to stick up for themselves, be an advocate for your child/parent/dependent. Ask for more tests. They must be…

People are told by big media that doctors will probably hurt you and you will never see it coming.  They are told to stick up for themselves, be an advocate for your child/parent/dependent.  Ask for more tests.  They must be missing something.  Ask for more consults.  A second, third or fourth opinion must be better.  Don’t leave without an answer and don’t compromise.  Then they actually become patients.  Or in …

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The win-win solution for patient satisfaction

Physician voices

The social isolation physicians face after they retire

Doctors by our nature do not handle idleness well. We value our vacations, of course. I never sought out a study to see if doctors vacationed differently than others. Some probably hang out someplace warm, others seek out the best…

Doctors by our nature do not handle idleness well. We value our vacations, of course. I never sought out a study to see if doctors vacationed differently than others. Some probably hang out someplace warm, others seek out the best eats of the place they are visiting, some cannot wait for the cruise ship to dock so they can disembark for a tour of a new place. Vacations, though, are …

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The social isolation physicians face after they retire

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