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
Defining Online Professional Behavior
This week a reporter cornered me on the issue of professional behavior in the social space. How is it defined? I didn’t have an answer. But it’s something that I think about. Perhaps there isn’t much to think about. As a ‘representative’ of my hospital and a physician to the children in my community, how I behave in public isn’t any different than a decade ago. ... Continue Reading about Defining Online Professional Behavior
Can Machines Act Like Doctors?
Recently I spent some time watching videos of surgeon David Samadi and the Da Vinci robotic operating sytem. I began thinking about doctors and automation. I wondered, can machines act like doctors? I wondered what part of me will be replaced by artificial intelligence? I suspect that much of what I do will be done more efficiently by machine. Then I thought ... Continue Reading about Can Machines Act Like Doctors?
How I Structure a Patient Visit
If you visit my clinic, I follow a structured process during the the encounter. It’s fairly traditional but has some hidden twists that I think are worth thinking about. Here’s how I structure a patient visit: Introduction (provider directed). During the first few minutes I try to connect and find some type of common ground with the child and parents. Basic, ... Continue Reading about How I Structure a Patient Visit
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
Bug Spray and the Doctor-Patient Disconnect
Before every upper endoscopy I spray a local anesthetic in the mouth to minimize a child’s gag. It’s pretty nasty tasting stuff. So I have this little charade I pull before every scope: I apply the spray, look at the bottle, then announce in shock that the nurses have mistakenly given me bug spray. As quickly as I deliver the punch line I make it clear that ... Continue Reading about Bug Spray and the Doctor-Patient Disconnect