Category: primary care

The doctor-patient relationship has become transactional. It can lead to disastrous consequences.

I love Bruce Lee. From his martial arts skill and athletic prowess to his philosophy, he was a cultural icon. There are hundreds of anecdotes and stories, some based in fact and others in fiction, that are a testament to the value he placed in the purs…

How to make LGBTQ+ patients feel welcome during in-person and virtual doctor’s visits

Although Pride Month is over, awareness and advocacy for equity among the LGBTQ+ community must continue to be prioritized. This is especially important in health care settings. Many LGBTQ+ people feel uncomfortable and unwelcome in doctors’ offices, a…

Doctors are humans, not heroes

Everybody dies. And doctors can’t change that reality. But we’ve created a system where we lead people to believe immortality is possible. We expect clear-cut answers to health questions. We’ve been trained to look for multiple-choice questions with an…

Are you a part of “The Upsell” in health care?

Does this scenario sound familiar? You bring your car into the dealership for routine servicing. The service representative (patch on his shirt says his name is “Bob”) checks your car history. He tells you they will do the routine service c…

May each of you find your own sunrise and sunset

When I turned 60, it was a weird feeling, something I had not experienced with previous birthdays.  I remember thinking, “SIXTY! Am I really 60?” Where did the time go? Looking back, I realize how much of it I had “wished away.” We all can fall into th…

Unconscious biases against vitamins and supplements [PODCAST]

“Like many scary health scenarios where patients seek some modicum of influence, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient demand for ‘immune-boosting’ dietary supplements. Toilet paper wasn’t the only essential item being limited by s…

A medical student’s guide to taking a social history

Dear medical student: I was in your shoes twenty years ago. At that time, I thought that becoming a doctor was all about gaining medical knowledge. When I started my clinical rotations, I was convinced that the “history of present illness” …

The time for preventive health is now

As a public health physician and epidemiologist, I’ve learned a lot of lessons during this pandemic.  But the importance of preventive health was probably the most striking.  It became clear relatively early on, that countries with healthier population…

How to start reversing the clinician shortage today

The pandemic may have caused a nationwide labor shortage in the short term. Employees resigning on the spot. Businesses shortening operating hours. Employers offering signing bonuses. However, due to the ongoing urgency and lethality of COVID, very few…

Primary care: I love the variety and the intimacy of the problems that are placed before me

An excerpt from Becoming Doctors 25 Years Later: Twenty five physicians sharing the journey from medical student to retirement. If I get out of bed now, I can squeeze in that ten-minute morning yoga routine on YouTube. But it feels so nice lying here, …