There's lots of talk about physician bias. Confirmation bias, attribution error, etc. Jerry Groopman's How Doctors Think provides a great primer on how patterns of physician thinking impact care. Unfortunately there's less talk about patient bias. Google 'patient bias' and you'll find only links to physician bias. Patients bring their own biases to the exam ... Continue Reading about Should We Consider Patient Bias?
Yes, Doctor
Not long ago I cared for the child of a family from a distant country. When I walked in, they stood up. When I walked out, they stood up. It was like The People’s Court. They agreed with whatever I said. Their obsequious nodding whenever I spoke made me feel brilliant. They treated me as though I knew it all. The problem was that the family’s insistence on ... Continue Reading about Yes, Doctor
Let’s Tell Stories About Medicine and the Internet
I can't help but think that as time passes we'll forget about how much medicine has changed with the introduction of the Internet. We're witnessing a transition that hasn't been seen in generations. We live with the end result but the memory of how we got here is fading quickly. Like any kind of cultural shift, once we've arrived it's hard to remember what it was ... Continue Reading about Let’s Tell Stories About Medicine and the Internet
Doctors, Patients and Boundaries
This post from Kelly Young on Howard Luks' blog asks when patients cross the line with respect to their own advocacy. It's worth a peek. The question of boundaries between doctor and patient is interesting. All of my patients are empowered in some way. The extent and level of that empowerment is personal. On our own there are few lines and little with respect ... Continue Reading about Doctors, Patients and Boundaries
Helping Parents Manage Uncertainty
How comfortable are we with uncertainty? I struggle with this question every day. I treat children with abdominal pain. Some of these children suffer with crohns disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, and other serious problems. Some children struggle with abdominal pain from anxiety or social concerns. I see all kinds. But kids are tricky and sometimes I can’t ... Continue Reading about Helping Parents Manage Uncertainty
Narrative Medicine and the Parallel Chart
This is something. From one of my fav medical magazines, Proto comes an interview with Rita Charon, an internist and literary scholar at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She has initiated a new program in narrative medicine where medical students and clinicians fashion clinical experiences into narratives that reflect not only their points of ... Continue Reading about Narrative Medicine and the Parallel Chart