A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Engaging personally with our health care system either as a patient or family member is usually an eye-opening experience for most physicians. It provides a glimpse of what th…
I have gotten to the stage where I take a more philosophical approach to the issue of physician burnout and job dissatisfaction. I see it all around me, and it’s impossible to miss some of the sobering statistics just browsing online any medical public…
One of my graduate school professors proclaimed that what is wrong with our society is that most people have not reached formal operations or have not been in psychotherapy. Formal operations is the stage of development, described by French researcher …
Being a physician is an important role. It’s easy to forget the impact that you have on a patient just by being at their bedside. It’s huge. Have you ever been a patient? It’s an incredibly vulnerable experience. You’re not real…
“I dreamed a dream my life would be … so different from this hell I’m living.” Twenty years ago, I would pull out my Les Miserables piano book and pound out “I Dreamed a Dream” while my fellow medical student/roommat…
It is well known by now that a physician’s demeanor influences the clinical response patients have to any prescribed treatment. We also know that even when nothing is prescribed, a physician’s careful listening, examination, and reassurance about the n…
At least a few times a year, I am asked to prescribe antibiotics to people who are not my patients. From my point of view, there is only one answer that makes sense here – no. I have the same reaction when patients call me for a refill or advice when I…
He came to the office in search of help as many patients do, but the circumstances that compelled him to seek medical attention were all too similar to me. I’ve seen it time and again. He said that he couldn’t sleep at one visit. At another, his blood …
In a shocking development that could transform the medical profession, the International Journal of Health Services published the findings of a study titled, “Primary care, specialty care, and life chances.” Using multiple regression analysis, the rese…
On a rare Sunday morning, I woke and had the time to make breakfast for my kids and their cousin, who’d stayed the night. My nephew said, “Thanks, Aunt Erin, I feel like I never see you.” To which my oldest (10) stated very matter-of-…
