Primary Care
How understanding cultural backgrounds can lead to better patient care [PODCAST]
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Joining us today is Raj Sundar, a family physician with expertise in cultural humility and safety.
Raj explains that the traditional approach to such situations tends to ignore the patient’s cultural values and beliefs, with the health care …
From license to loneliness: the dilemma of retired physicians
My email delivered a terse reminder. The board of medicine notified me that they had not yet received my license renewal application, just one month until the expiration of my current license. For a mere $100, I could sit through the required online child abuse reporting course and answer the questions as they arise. My CME is more than ample, as my other state license requires far more and is …
Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives
March 30, 2023, is National Doctors’ Day in the United States.
It’s that one day when the leaders of our profession, at every level, take a moment and thank us for the work we’ve done. Nothing says “thank you for ensuring that I get a 4-6 figure bonus this year,” like a slice of cold pizza or donut. Currently, I work at a pretty great place – but at other sites, …
The harmful effects of shaming patients for self-education
“Don’t confuse your Google search with my medical degree.”
We’ve all seen the mug and likely had a little chuckle. Maybe it has even recalled to mind a particular patient or encounter. Other than thinking of it as a snarky joke (no shade on those of you who have one, truly), I have not given it much thought until a recent patient encounter.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to …
The power of self-appreciation: Why physicians need to start acknowledging their own contributions
As Physicians Week and Doctors’ Day approach, I’m getting ready for the flurry of posts and memes that get shared on social media about the appreciation being extended to us. Whether it is from our patients, colleagues, or administration, the common theme seems to be: the pizza delivery to the breakroom (getting cold while I run around hair-on-fire seeing all the patients) and the CEO emailing, “Thank You, Providers” is …
The endless waves of chronic illness
Life keeps buffeting the patient diagnosed with several chronic conditions, like continuous incoming and outgoing mammoth ocean waves flooding over one’s body, raising you high up into the air and then sucking you downward, a struggle to keep your head above the water for survival. There is no rest, true calmness, or time to catch your breath.
My time is dictated by scheduling appointments with my doctor, who then lends me …
The teacher who changed my life through reading
It is near summer now as I write this brief narrative. This time of year, when I turn on my car radio, I sometimes hear various individuals talking about summer reading, past or present.
These programs got me thinking about Percy Holmes, or the late Percy Holmes, an English teacher I had in the tenth grade at Haverhill High School in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
I remember Mr. Holmes as a dapper little man, …
Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care
They are not just sick people in need of care. They are people with lives, hopes, plans, and dreams. A day before they showed up, they may have dropped a son at school, taken a daughter to soccer practice, made dinner, had lunch with friends, done their nails, or even bought a new golf club.
Of course, there is the drug addict with endocarditis, the perpetual drunk with intracranial hematoma, or even …
Rescuing primary care: the role of health administrators [PODCAST]
Redefining success: a journey of self-discovery and fulfillment [PODCAST]
Breaking the stigma: Addressing the struggles of physicians
The state of health care in the U.S. is widely considered to be inadequate. I recently learned in an online class that family doctors in Canada only have 10 minutes per patient. I am unsure who sets or enforces this rule and it is unclear why anyone would choose such a job. As an introvert, I understand the toll of being present for others all day, but 10 minutes to …
Life as a physician is sometimes like a runaway trailer
It was a hot day in Northern California, and my clothes were covered with the red dust of summer. At age 9, I couldn’t take a step on our property without grasshoppers launching themselves from the dry wheat grass. Colorful ladybugs were also out in force. I searched everywhere for a container to keep my prized bugs, but my efforts were to no avail. I headed for Mr. Maryfield’s trailer, …
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Navigating life’s zero-sum game: the struggles of competitive health care professionals
Life is often viewed as a competition where resources and opportunities are limited. This is especially true for health care professionals, who must navigate the delicate balance between their professional responsibilities and their personal lives. The challenge becomes even greater when factors such as competition among family members and the rise of artificial intelligence threaten to disrupt the traditional roles and relationships that have defined humanity.
Geography plays a significant role …
Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?
As I enter the patient exam room, the first question is no longer “When can I get my COVID-19 vaccine?” but rather, “Are you leaving? My old doctor left. You are my fifth doctor in three years. What is happening?”
Nowadays, I spend more time educating patients about the visible cracks our medical system flaunts. They were present before the pandemic and will remain as it ends. In my health care …
Breaking the cycle of misery in medicine: a practical guide
Presently, two-thirds of all physicians are demoralized and experiencing a less than satisfied work experience for a number of reasons other than it being “our fault” (please do not let them call it “burnout”). The future of finding happiness in practicing primary care medicine does not appear to be promising.
The combination of more complicated medical problems in addition to an increased volume of older patients on the horizon and less …
Fixing the broken system: Improving clinical documentation in health care
Imagine you found your dream home and hired an inspector to check it out. They walked around for an hour, kicking the tires on the furnace, taking pictures of the roof, peering up the chimney. In the end, they informed you they were done. You ask, “When will I get the report?” They reply, “What report? You hired me to inspect it. A report would be an undue burden.” Wouldn’t …
Why our quest for self-improvement is failing: Uncovering the immunity to change in health care
I signed up for yet another program in my relentless quest for self-improvement (and perhaps recovery from decades of physician hood). This one features Dr. Lisa Lahey, co-author of Immunity to Change.
This is my second encounter with the book (when the student is ready the master will re-appear?) in which she and her co-author, Robert Kegan, lay out a model to uncover “the disjunction between understanding the need for …
Healing through love and spirituality
As I write this, a friend from my church is going through terrible setbacks as he awaits a new heart. He has been lovingly supported during his lengthy trials by church members. They visit him in the hospital and at home and support his wife with meals as she cares almost around the clock for her husband. His journey into medical care began several years ago when he experienced heart …
Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care
For some, it may seem strange to think of the doctor-patient interaction as a relationship. In the most basic sense, a relationship is a connection; it is how two or more people or groups regard and behave toward each other. Relationships are not static – they are influenced by an ever-changing social, cultural, and political environment. They must try to adapt or risk tension and strife; the doctor-patient relationship is …
Past Week
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Health care as a human right vs. commodity: Resolving the paradox
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My wife’s story: How DEA and CDC guidelines destroyed our golden years
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The gastroenterologist shortage: Why supply is falling behind demand
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Why voicemail in outpatient care is failing patients and staff
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Alex Pretti’s death: Why politics belongs in emergency medicine
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U.S. opioid policy history: How politics replaced science in pain care
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Past 6 Months
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How environmental justice and health disparities connect to climate change
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Will AI replace primary care physicians?
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A physician father on the Dobbs decision and reproductive rights
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What is the minority tax in medicine?
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Why the U.S. health care system is failing patients and physicians
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Alex Pretti: a physician’s open letter defending his legacy
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Recent Posts
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A physician’s quiet reflection on January 1, 2026
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AI censorship threatens the lifeline of caregiver support [PODCAST]
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Demedicalize dying: Why end-of-life care needs a spiritual reset
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Physician due process: Surviving the court of public opinion
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Spaced repetition in medicine: Why current apps fail clinicians
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When the doctor becomes the patient: a breast cancer diagnosis
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Past Week
-
Health care as a human right vs. commodity: Resolving the paradox
-
My wife’s story: How DEA and CDC guidelines destroyed our golden years
-
The gastroenterologist shortage: Why supply is falling behind demand
-
Why voicemail in outpatient care is failing patients and staff
-
Alex Pretti’s death: Why politics belongs in emergency medicine
-
U.S. opioid policy history: How politics replaced science in pain care
-
Past 6 Months
-
How environmental justice and health disparities connect to climate change
-
Will AI replace primary care physicians?
-
A physician father on the Dobbs decision and reproductive rights
-
What is the minority tax in medicine?
-
Why the U.S. health care system is failing patients and physicians
-
Alex Pretti: a physician’s open letter defending his legacy
-
Recent Posts
-
A physician’s quiet reflection on January 1, 2026
-
AI censorship threatens the lifeline of caregiver support [PODCAST]
-
Demedicalize dying: Why end-of-life care needs a spiritual reset
-
Physician due process: Surviving the court of public opinion
-
Spaced repetition in medicine: Why current apps fail clinicians
-
When the doctor becomes the patient: a breast cancer diagnosis
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