An excerpt from Hey! I Could Use a Little Help Here! My Story of Healthcare Workplace Violence. This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Lynne Sausse Truxillo, RN, who died on April 11, 2019 from injuries sustained during a patient assault while on d…
Even as COVID-19 is found in apes, big cats, minks, domestic cats, other small mammals, and now in U.S. deer, some don’t want to let go of the insultingly simplistic “lab leak” theory. Do they really think the 1918 influenza and AIDS pandemics (or Ebol…
The nurse called: “The patient wants to leave AMA.” These calls come, fortunately not often. Typically the patient is not terribly ill, but they really miss their cigarettes or alcohol. Spending another day or two in the hospital would be wise, but lea…
“Trust and confidence in any product — and here the vaccine is the product — starts with confidence in the process and safety.” -Payam N., Vaccine Outreach Supervisor While training over 1,800 vaccine outreach workers enrolled in the UCSF P…
“Trust and confidence in any product — and here the vaccine is the product — starts with confidence in the process and safety.” -Payam N., Vaccine Outreach Supervisor While training over 1,800 vaccine outreach workers enrolled in the UCSF P…
“Your zip code is a better predictor of your health than your genetic code.” For residents in the Pacific Northwest who recently faced a record-breaking heatwave, this statement hits close to home. The World Weather Attribution initiative, …
Our memories are tricky. Whether we inflate experiences in recollection or allow their wonder to slip back among the ordinary depends on our perspectives at the time between present and past. The trouble is that we are no good at knowing in which direc…
“You will be asleep for your surgery,” anesthesiologists often reassure their patients. Just before the start of anesthesia, a patient may hear the nurse saying, “Think of a nice dream as you go off to sleep.” While these statements are intended to soo…
Vaccinations have long been a routine part of practice in late summer and early fall for pediatricians and family physicians. Back to school brings enrollment vaccination requirements and sports physicals, as well as the opportunity to bring young pati…
When Linda said she wanted to weigh 150 pounds, her doctors balked. In the fall of 2020, Linda weighed over twice that number. Her obesity was causing her debilitating knee pain, leading her to miss work as a mammography technician, a job she loved. Wa…
