Category: primary care

When words mislead in the exam room

Words can be misleading. Medical terms work really well when shared between clinicians. But we can’t assume our patients speak the same language we do. If we “run with” whatever keywords we pick up from our patient’s chief complaint, we can easily get …

What to consider when recommending yoga to patients [PODCAST]

“Yoga therapy differs from contemporary yoga in that the profession has a defined scope of practice based on educational standards and accreditation requirements for training schools and yoga therapists. In dealing with pain conditions, certified…

A family physician shares her inspiration [PODCAST]

“Why else should a person become a doctor? Because there is always something to learn. Because holding someone’s hand when they’re scared is a profound gift that feels as good to give as it does to receive. Because your job will call on you to be…

Why doctors can’t rest

“How beautiful it is to do nothing and then rest afterward.” – Spanish Proverb. I saw this on a bookmark in a beautiful inn on the coast of South Carolina called the Sanctuary.  This is a place I go to vacation, but I find I rarely escape.  You see, th…

The dissin’ physician: How does one become this way?

Patients mutter words like these under their breath as they leave the office or sound off when they get home.  At the nurses’ station, feelings of resignation and exasperation are in the air. When is he ever going to stop acting that way? Dr. Diss (a f…

Evaluating technology tools for clinical use

It will not come as a surprise to my fellow clinicians that the pandemic has spurred a boom in digital health and health technology innovation, evidenced by the increasing sales pitches we receive for these new solutions. Our practice has experienced b…

A Black physician’s perfectionism

Since I was a child, I have been plagued by words and thoughts (spoken and unspoken) that said, “You are not good enough.” I remember this very vividly as I walked into my new school as a fourth-grader in rural Ohio. I was so excited to sta…

How do patients really feel about virtual care and electronic patient engagement?

Recently, a Harris Poll conducted an online among 2,055 adults ages 18+. The survey was conducted within the United States between March 25 to 29, 2021.  The survey focused on individuals who had interacted with the health care system in the last year….

The life cycle of emotion in medicine

Interviewing for medical schools was intense, excruciating, and terrifying. Despite the difficult questions, there are three that stand out to me. The first was to differentiate sympathy from empathy, where I spent 30 minutes defending my answer to be …

How this physician escaped the system [PODCAST]

“If you are happy with where you are in the current system – that is wonderful, continue what you are doing. However, if you are feeling trapped, frustrated, or like the work you are doing is no longer meaningful, then there are plenty of opportu…