Why medical students should not let medicine define them

Education
October 31, 2018

Sanjay Gupta. John Locke. Jill Stein. Charles Krauthammer. What do they all have in common?

If you guessed that they are all physicians, then you’re right.

Less salient, however, is the fact that all of them pursued passions outside of medicine. (Dr. Gupta is an Emmy Award-winning medical reporter. John Locke was a physician-philosopher. Stein and Krauthammer both made their mark in politics.) In doing so, they avoided an existential trap that …

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Why medical students should not let medicine define them

In defense of FOX’s The Resident

Physician
February 13, 2018

The public’s apparently insatiable appetite for medical drama continues unabated as yet another prime-time TV show set in a hospital has hit our screens. FOX’s The Resident has generated discussion like no other. This may simply be due to the fact it’s the first major launch in the era of widespread social media, but it seems to have enraged a vast swathe of our ranks. Has The Resident crossed a …

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In defense of FOX’s The Resident

7 tips for branding: What doctors need to know

Physician
February 8, 2018

When we think of a brand, we usually think of companies such as Apple or Coca-Cola with their recognizable logos and colors. We may also think about celebrities, such as Beyoncé and the Kardashians, who have large-scale exposure and garner massive attention.

But, what is a brand? A brand is a particular identity or image that’s regarded as useful or valuable. And, a brand’s identity is how a business wants to …

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7 tips for branding: What doctors need to know

The striking parallels between doctors and journalists

Physician
June 24, 2017

Once during my TV news days, I was feeling pretty good about myself during a three-hour drive to the Mayo Clinic. “I am so glad I don’t practice!” I crowed to my photographer. “Practicing physicians are so sad. They’ve lost their income, their autonomy, and the public’s respect.”

My photographer didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah,” he replied. “They sound just like you.”

By which he meant that as a journalist, I’d lost …

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The striking parallels between doctors and journalists

The problem with medical TV shows. A surgeon sets the record straight.

Physician
July 7, 2015

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I never really watched medical shows, even before and during medical school. I watched maybe one season of ER, a couple of seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and House MD and maybe one episode each of Private Practice, Chicago Hope, Emily Owens MD and other random medical shows. The only medical show I made an exception for was Scrubs, because it was …

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The problem with medical TV shows. A surgeon sets the record straight.

The deadly consequences of media distortion in health and medicine

Physician
April 24, 2014

The recent concentration of misleading media hooey about health has been excruciating, but the problem is perennial. I trust I needn’t make the case that you are under constant assault by distorted, contorted, titillating, and insipid headlines. This is certainly true in my domain of health and medicine; it may well be true more generally, but I tend to limit my commentary to the realm of my actual expertise. But to …

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The deadly consequences of media distortion in health and medicine

Mohs surgery is vilified, physicians again fail to respond effectively

Conditions
January 29, 2014

An article published in the New York Times last weekend has been circulating widely on the Internet, and I feel that more than ever, physician voices are needed to reach the public and counter certain misconceptions put forth by the media.

The article, “Patients’ Costs Skyrocket; Specialists’ Incomes Soar,” charts the growth of specialist incomes in the past decade, using the case of a patient from Arkansas who had a …

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Mohs surgery is vilified, physicians again fail to respond effectively

Why doctors need to be more like Malcolm Gladwell

KevinMD
October 17, 2013

In case you haven’t heard, Malcolm Gladwell recently released his book, David and Goliath.  I’m just about finished reading it.

Just as interesting as the book are its reviews.  In a recent post from Slate, Gladwell himself responds to the criticism.  He freely admits that his books should not be held as pinnacles of academic rigor, but should be considered “intellectual adventures stories.”

He further elaborates on the power …

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Why doctors need to be more like Malcolm Gladwell

What really happens in a morbidity and mortality conference

Education
May 17, 2013

If you’ve read my reviews of the new medical TV show Monday Mornings, you’ll know I’ve been critical of many things about it. I was particularly disappointed with the way the show handled one of its central themes: the morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference.

I thought it might be useful to tell you how most real M&M conferences are run. M&M conferences generally take place at hospitals with residency training …

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What really happens in a morbidity and mortality conference

Mean doctors and nice nurses: It’s time to change our brand

Physician
November 26, 2012

In my hospital’s preoperative area, upright on her bed, sat an unhappy middle-aged lady who needed an operation to treat complications from her previous bariatric surgery.  She hadn’t lost weight and clearly was feeling discouraged about practically everything.  She was physically uncomfortable, couldn’t even keep down her own saliva because her lower esophagus was obstructed, and was in tears.

As her anesthesiologist, …

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Mean doctors and nice nurses: It’s time to change our brand

Mischaracterizations by the popular media of medical conditions

Conditions
January 12, 2011

by Joyce Graff

Medical dramas can play powerful roles in increasing awareness of rare diseases, but it’s critical that the diseases are portrayed accurately. Mischaracterizations by the popular media of medical conditions, particularly rare ones, can be very demeaning to people afflicted with those conditions, and can affect how people look at them in the workplace or at school.

The TV show, Grey’s Anatomy recently broadcast the first …

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Mischaracterizations by the popular media of medical conditions

House, M.D. physician technical advisor interview

Social media
May 21, 2010

by Ryan DuBosar

“House, M.D.,” is the least realistic medical drama on television. That doesn’t bother Lisa Sanders, ACP Member, one of the show’s technical advisors.

The lead character, Gregory House, MD, verbally abuses patients, goes overboard ordering tests and above all, he’s “a jerk,” Dr. Sanders said. But after all, it’s television, and the former CBS news producer turned med student turned Yale professor understands the difference between reality and good …

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House, M.D. physician technical advisor interview

How did Michael Jackson die, and the medicine behind sudden cardiac death

Conditions
June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson is dead at age 50.

I’ve received several e-mails to comment on this story, but there’s really too few details to go on. I’m sure more will emerge in the near future.

According to news reports, emergency medical services were called to his home in Los Angeles, where he was found in presumed cardiac arrest. CPR …

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How did Michael Jackson die, and the medicine behind sudden cardiac death

Tom Brady and his knee infection

Uncategorized
October 23, 2008

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady recently underwent repair of his anterior cruciate ligament at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. His doctor was Neal S. ElAttrache, who’s a renowned orthopedic surgeon and former team physician of an NFL team.

Unfortunately, his post-op course has been complicated by an infection. On his website, TomBrady.com, he acknowledged this and said that the original procedure was …

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Tom Brady and his knee infection

My take: What makes a good medical blog?

Uncategorized
May 2, 2008

Maria writes: “I’d like your take on what you think constitutes a ‘good’ medblog . . . I am continually surprised with what people like about medblogs. Some people like brief links, some people like critical discussions, some people like stories.

This ultimately all boils down to opinion, but I’d like to know what traits you like in medblogs.

Can you start by opining that you strongly dislike …

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My take: What makes a good medical blog?

Death by Bengay

Uncategorized
June 9, 2007

Overuse of muscle cream lead to this teen’s death:

A medical examiner blamed a 17-year-old track star’s death on the use of too much muscle cream, the kind used to soothe aching legs after exercise.

Arielle Newman, a cross-country runner at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island, died after her body absorbed high levels of methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in sports creams such as Bengay and Icy Hot, …

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Death by Bengay

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