Concerns about conflicts of interest and stereotyping differ in their complexity. Resolving stereotyping-related concerns is relatively straightforward. Stereotyping should be dismantled immediately, regardless of the reasons for its creation, before i…
In the complex world of health care, doctors and nurses often take center stage. But behind them is a much larger team supporting the delivery of exceptional care. Allied health professionals – like radiology and surgery technicians – play an essential…
“America’s health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.” – Walter Cronkite. Hospitals, revered as places of healing and recovery, hold secrets and harbor mistakes that can take a heavy toll on patients. These hid…
There was nothing unusual about my hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, when I checked in, but when I headed down to check out the laundry facilities and saw police swarming the lobby and parking lot, I knew it was time to move. Thankfully, experiences like tha…
Inpatients require surgical procedures, raising the question of whether these procedures should be scheduled as elective or emergent. Traditionally, surgeries were deemed emergencies solely when there were physical, psychological, or rarely, spiritual …
In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, a rheumatologist at a teaching hospital lamented about “hospital problems,” a phenomenon where patients are not allowed to stay in the hospital when they no longer have a medical n…
As a physician, there are moments during the day when you must deliver a disheartening diagnosis to your patient: pancreatic cancer, ALS, leukemia, and unfortunately, the list goes on. The patient must face the harsh realities that are now placed befor…
Rural communities have a problem. Their health care options continue to shrink, as medical facilities close or consolidate. The trend has accelerated in recent years, but Westfield Memorial Hospital in Western New York wants to expand. The tiny facilit…
Two scourges of 24 x 7 x 365 coverage may be lost on-the-job sleep and soured on-the-job peace for workers, especially for health care workers. Traditionally, attending physicians have had the privilege of call rooms while providing coverage for overni…
The hospital is like a river. Patients float downstream into our care, stay in sight for a moment, and leave after we have done everything we can to help them. Regardless of why they arrive or how long they stay, every person in the hospital will alway…
