Medical Humanities: the Rx for Uncertainty? Renowned physician author Danielle Ofri makes the case for how the humanities offer not only well-being for physicians but also make us better doctors through growing wisdom from knowledge and building creativity, all of which help us embrace the inherent uncertainty in medicine.
Say her name: Dr. Susan Moore Op ed about the life and death of Dr. Susan Moore, a black family physician who died of COVID in December, after recording a post relating her racist treatment while a patient.
PPE-clad doctor comforts lonely elderly covid 19 patient The doctor's new role: family member, hug, hand...heartbreaking photo shows PPE-clad doctor comforting lonely, elderly covid-19 patient
Reentry This is a NEJM perspective piece written by a palliative care doctor in NYC in light of the COVID pandemic. A snippet: "From March to June 2020, I led a palliative care team embedded in our hospital’s Covid ICU. We spoke to countless families over the phone and by Zoom calls to tell them their loved ones were critically ill, getting sicker, and eventually, dying. When the prognosis seemed dire, we recommended transitioning to comfort-focused care. And in patients’ final hours and days, we held iPads at their bedsides so that family members around the world could say goodbye."
Liminal Thinking - The Pyramid of Belief by Dave Gray In this sketch video, Dave Gray postulates that each of us has own reality based upon our individual pyramid of belief. Recognizing that these pyramids are built upon our life experiences and put us at risk of becoming blind to our assumptions and biases is a particularly resonant message for healthcare professionals whose assumptions and biases can have grave implications.
Old Age, From Youth's Narrow Prism by Marc Agronin This poignant article about a physician’s reaction to an elderly patient offers an insight into what can happen when we assume that other people’s personal context is the same as our own.