Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved apalutamide, an androgen receptor inhibitor, for treatment of patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC). The approval was based on SPARTAN, a randomized,…
Health disparities are a major problem in the United States: many conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease, disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities and the socioeconomically disadvantaged. Few inter…
In the aftermath of the mass shooting at a social services center in San Bernardino, California, in 2015, President Barack Obama suggested that the relationship between firearm ownership and gun injuries might be as strong as the connection between cig…
Accreditation is used in many fields, including education, travel, construction, and health care. When implemented correctly, it improves quality, performance, and safety, while signaling to the public that an accredited entity is committed to an agree…
On the Wednesday before the summer solstice in the United States, President Donald Trump ended his administration’s policy of forced separation of immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.–Mexico border — a practice characterized by the preside…
Every pediatrician has his or her own tips for putting young patients at ease in the exam room. Mine include referring to even the tiniest Spanish-speaking patients as usted rather than tú, as a sign of respect, and sitting at or below their level to a…
Despite independent studies showing that clinical quality in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system is often as good as or better than that in the private sector, numerous areas for improvement remain. Moreover, going forward, VA reform …
Despite decades of public and private investment, the United States continues to have a shortage of primary care capacity. Only 2699 graduating U.S. medical students — about 17% of graduates from allopathic and osteopathic schools — matched with primar…
Throughout the history of modern American medicine, physicians have made up the vast majority of professionals who diagnose, treat, and prescribe medication to patients. Although demand for medical services has increased markedly over the years (and is…
We examine him each day — the elderly patient, intubated, sedated, with a bewildered wife at his bedside. We should sit down with his wife before we ask her to make hard decisions about her husband’s care, but the unit is so busy that we find ourselves…
