Some 20 years ago, pulmonologist Marc Moss was working in the intensive care unit when a patient went into cardiac arrest. Moss and others tried to revive the man, but he did not survive. As doctors often are, Moss was pressed for time and he asked several medical students to stay with the deceased patient and fill out the necessary paperwork so that Moss could return to another patient he’d been seeing. Not long after, he noticed one of the students crying.
More
It’s not so much whether one EMR is better than another — they all have their breathtaking assets and their snarling annoyances. What is really becoming clear to me is the uncomfortable realization that there are actually three of us in the room now: the patient, me, and Epic. What started out as a tool — a database to store information more efficiently than the paper chart — has inserted itself as a member of the medical team. What used to be a tango between the doctor and patient is now a troika.
More
Many microaggressions are gaffes where the perpetrator is making a misguided attempt at humor. I vividly recall the time I was in training many years ago, and I told my supervising physician about my pregnancy. He responded good-naturedly: “Pregnant? How did you even find the time? We must not be working you hard enough!” I remember mustering a feeble smile, not quite knowing how to respond to his misplaced humor.
More
This is not the story of my leukemia diagnosis, nor of my subsequent stem cell transplant. Those are harrowing stories that make excellent Facebook click bait: “A mother of three!” “A doctor herself!” “Diagnosed at Christmas!”
It is more mundane than that.
It is the story of being chronically ill, while working among the well. It is the story of being diseased while wearing the healer’s white coat. It is, most painfully, being fully human among those who know human bodies most intimately.
More
Imagine a health-care system in which doctors and nurses are so exhausted and beaten down that many of them work like zombies — error-prone, apathetic toward patients and at times trying to blunt their own pain with alcohol or even suicide attempts. That is what America’s broken health care system is doing to its health workers, according to a 312-page report released Wednesday by the National Academy of Medicine, one of the country’s most prestigious medical institutions.
More
What a new study tells us about implementing shared decision making for older adults with multiple chronic conditions.
More
I still remember the first time I said those three little words. Growing up in a loving Welsh family, I’d heard them said many times. But the first time they roll off your tongue will always be different. You try to choose your moment, but sometimes the words take you, and the listener, by surprise. If “I love you” are the three most important words in life, then “I don’t know” are the three most important in medicine. They’re also the most underused. Their power comes from admitting that doctors don’t, and can’t, know everything.
More
A new study examines the definition of informed consent and finds that patients want to know much more than clinicians usually tell them.
More
Our piecemeal approach to health information exchange hasn't worked in most places in the US. How do we get on a better path?
More
We must prioritize clinician-patient relationships to create the best environment for healing.
More
What is the potential impact of trainees spending so little time on direct patients care?
More
Finding out you have a serious medical condition can leave you reeling. These strategies from medical and lay experts will help you be in control as you navigate our complex health care system and get the best possible care.
More
When you're facing a serious illness, navigating the health care system can be just as difficult as managing your physical health. In the latest edition of NPR's Life Kit series, Shannon Brownlee and other experts provide tips on how patients can maintain control over their health care in stressful situations.
More
A recent CBS "Whistleblower" segment misses the big picture on midwives and maternity care.
More
The latest commentary in the Lown Institute and American Family Physician's "Right Care" series features Dr. Andy Lazris and Dr. Alan Roth on the pros and cons of lung cancer screening.
More
Why is palliative care still underutilized, despite the improvements in quality of life it offers patients with serious illness?
More
At the Atlantic Pulse conference, health care experts proposed several "fixes" for the medical education system.
More
For conditions like mild hypertension, that depend a lot of patient behavior outside the clinic, adherence rates are typically very low. The newest piece in the Right Care Series gives physicians tips on how they can improve patient engagement.
More
