There’s lots of talk about physician burnout. There’s even more talk about how we get rid of it. Everyone has a solution. But the problem with the conversation is that burnout is a sign, not a disease. Burnout is the downstream result of a number of complex upstream problems. But it's rarely the problem. Focusing on fixing burnout is like trying to eliminate fever ... Continue Reading about Burnout is a sign
Goodhart’s law and patient satisfaction
Goodhart’s law suggests that when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. When I first read this I couldn’t help but think of healthcare and the quest for the perfect patient satisfaction score. The problem is that as soon as we steer physician behavior and teach to the test, patient satisfaction scores stop being a valid measure. Essentially, ... Continue Reading about Goodhart’s law and patient satisfaction
Why DotMD Sold Out in Two Days
This past weekend the storied medical meeting DotMD sold out in two days. How did this happen and what does DotMD deliver that no other meeting does? Experiences. People are desperate for experiences. And the future of meetings is about the creation of human experiences. Sound, sensory, and emotion. These define DotMD.Like minds. Beyond the power of the ... Continue Reading about Why DotMD Sold Out in Two Days
MyChart Messages the Wild West of Patient Communication
Medicine is facing a crisis of information. Beyond the increase of biomedical information are rising demands for physician response to portal messaging (MyChart messages) and review of wearable generated data. More recently health professionals have seen a rise in MyChart messages coming in through the Epic patient portal. According to Epic, the number of ... Continue Reading about MyChart Messages the Wild West of Patient Communication
The Illusion of Eye Contact with Telemedicine
I’m big on eye contact with patients. It’s how we show ourselves as humans. The eyes are the windows to the soul. Through them, we build trust, empathy and reciprocity. When I’m with a patient face-to-face it isn’t always possible but I do my best. Like the IRL experience I try to achieve some level of eye contact during telemedicine encounters. But care through ... Continue Reading about The Illusion of Eye Contact with Telemedicine
Advice for Medical Graduates That We Least Expect
Every year that physicians have used social media, we’ve been talking about the July start for new doctors. And every year we offer our advice for medical graduates. Each year new grads echo their cries of reservation. And each year we stand by telling them that everything is going to be okay. Tips and tricks for surviving the unsurvivable are almost too numerous ... Continue Reading about Advice for Medical Graduates That We Least Expect