Author's posts
Why should you belong to a medical professional society?
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 particula…
Why we must embrace medical uncertainty
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 w…
In our health system, who “owns” patients?
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 sub…
The isolation and loneliness that physicians experience
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 incre…
How medicine rose up to the challenge of the AIDS epidemic
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. In the run-up to the Academy Awards this year, like many people I made a concerted effort to see most of the top-nominated pictures. Of particular interest was Bohemian Rh…
Physicians need to be better judges of science
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. The aim of medical education is not only to transfer scientific knowledge, but also impart the wisdom accumulated over the long history of medicine that equips us to apply …
Practice at the top of your license: What does that really mean?
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 e…
Reclaiming our mission in medicine
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. When reading (or writing) blog posts, it’s easy to be left with a mostly negative and often depressing view of the current state of medicine. This is completely understand…
