Clinical care for Obesity and Diet Related illnesses needs more attention to Societal Determinants of Health Article from NEJM website about how despite rates of obesity starting to level off overall, the lowest income and minority populations continue to show a sharp increase. A focus on those factors as contributory needs to be a part of the discussion.
Social stigma makes the opioid crisis hard to confront (7min) There are many reasons why the opioid crisis is so hard to confront. One of them is social stigma. It often extends beyond users themselves, to their families. People see addiction as a moral weakness, and by extension, the moral weakness of their families.
When drinking ruins your liver - should you qualify for a transplant? When patients develop alcohol liver disease, they are often forced to wait 6 months to prove they can abstain from alcohol before they will be considered for a transplant. Is that a fair amount of time? Is that a fair practice at all?
Withholding surgery: How gaps in policy fail people who inject drugs A recent New York Times article described a harrowing situation faced by some people who inject drugs and develop endocarditis, a life-threatening infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settle in the heart. The article described doctors in Tennessee deciding whether to perform repeat costly heart surgeries on patients who were re-infected with endocarditis as a result of ongoing illicit drug use—and at times declining to operate. There are policy failures that are to blame, too, for how and why resources are allocated this way. This looks at those failures and how our bias influences both the policies and how they are applied.
Injecting Drugs can ruin a heart - how many second chances should a user get? A life-threatening heart infection afflicts a growing number of people who inject opioids or meth. Costly surgery can fix it, but the addiction often goes unaddressed.
Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare - Patient Narratives Three narratives about diagnostic error and mistakes in healthcare...and how they might be avoided in the future.
When Doctors Become Patients by Eric D. Manheimer Few experiences have a greater impact on the perspective of healthcare providers than being in the patient role.
Sunday Dialogue: Conversations between Doctor and Patient A series of letters that debate whether clinicians should be assertive or let the patient decide.
When the Nurse Disagrees with the Doctor by Theresa Brown How we engage in a dialogue when conflict exists between healthcare professionals is often the most important issue.
Patient Voices: First-Person Narratives and Interactive Forums- NY Times A collection of first person accounts of the changes, challenges and rewards patients face as they cope with living with a diagnosis of a chronic disease, mental illness or condition.
I’m an atheist psychiatrist. Should I see patients who believe in God? by Jean Kim Respecting an individual’s perspective and the way they relate to the world is a tenet of high-quality healthcare. How should that play out in discussions about religion and spirituality?
Doctor Priorities vs. Patient Priorities by Danielle Ofri Doctors and patients can have contrasting agendas, viewed through different lenses. The key is not trying to change someone else’s lens, but rather, appreciating the value of their perspective.
Interview with Danielle Ofri, Author of What Doctors Feel (26:33) Discussion of the impact a provider’s emotional reaction has on the way we treat patients. Also discusses relationships between providers and patients.
Dying for the First Time by Jesse Kane, MS III Sackler SOM A medical student’s reflection on the first patient he watched die - a story of observing a Code run in the hospital. Brief and poignant.
Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare - Patient Narratives Three narratives about diagnostic error and mistakes in healthcare...and how they might be avoided in the future.
When Doctors Become Patients by Eric D. Manheimer Few experiences have a greater impact on the perspective of healthcare providers than being in the patient role.
I’m an atheist psychiatrist. Should I see patients who believe in God? by Jean Kim Respecting an individual’s perspective and the way they relate to the world is a tenet of high-quality healthcare. How should that play out in discussions about religion and spirituality?
Interview with Danielle Ofri, Author of What Doctors Feel (26:33) Discussion of the impact a provider’s emotional reaction has on the way we treat patients. Also discusses relationships between providers and patients.
Dying for the First Time by Jesse Kane, MS III Sackler SOM A medical student’s reflection on the first patient he watched die - a story of observing a Code run in the hospital. Brief and poignant.