The EMR has become a focal point in the physician burnout discussion. Although I believe EMRs are a necessary evil, current iterations of them are just not good. Each click on a mouse is a prick on the many good souls that figuratively bleed until they…
Category: primary care
When physicians focus more on screens than patients
As Wei Wei Lee sat with her doctor to discuss starting a family, she felt a “distance” between them. The physician was busy on the computer and focused on the screen. “It just didn’t feel very personal,” Lee said. “I didn’t feel heard.” It seemed as th…
5 powerful words you can say to patients
Our job as health care professionals is not just to diagnose our patients by applying our scientific knowledge and clinical skills, but also to be the “communicator-in-chief,” “listener-in-chief,” and “reassurer-in-chief.” Any doctor who doesn’t fully …
Paltering: When the truth is used to deceive
One evening in the clinic’s bullpen provider office, a colleague of mine wondered aloud how to respond to a difficult question a patient asked via patient portal message. A physician within earshot responded, “Just because someone asks you a question d…
Scope of practice expansion: Patient safety is sacrificed for greater access
When a patient seeks the care of a professional, they expect that person to be well trained, experienced, and constantly continuing their education. As an ophthalmologist, I completed a 4-year undergraduate program at Virginia Commonwealth University, …
Why we must embrace medical uncertainty
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. In the late 1800s, William Osler stated, “… if you want a profession in which everything is certain, you had better give up medicine.” He made this observation at a time w…
Doctors, listen up! You’ll be a patient soon.
As I age, the probability of acquiring yet another health condition seems to, unfortunately, increase. There’s always one test or another that is on my to-do list, be it bloodwork, X-ray, MRI, or maybe a CT scan thrown in for good measure. I comp…
Why doctors should never practice self-primary care
I am a mid-40s female rheumatologist. Fortunately, I consider myself to be fairly healthy; my diet and weight are OK, I run 30 to 35 miles per week, and my only medication is a low-estrogen oral contraceptive that I have been self-prescribing for years…
Medicine is my passion. I love my job, but I am human.
I am a small-town family physician, and I am blessed enough to be living my dream. You see, I have always wanted to be a doctor. I cannot think of one other occupation choice that has ever entered my brain. I have wanted this since I was four-years-old…
Be Bowser, not Mario in your medical practice
Anyone familiar with Nintendo’s Mario franchise is probably very confused by the title of this blog but stay with me here. My kids have recently become obsessed with Mario. It’s brought back great memories from my childhood of playing Super…
