“We’ve gotta keep Mama happy” I hear this from time to time from pediatricians. The idea is that if we don’t give a mother what she’s looking for, she’ll walk. As a resident I had a preceptor who loved to pull me aside to teach me the ‘inside baseball’ of pediatrics. One day after prescribing antibiotics to a child with a runny nose, he remarked with a wink and ... Continue Reading about Keep Mama Happy
Interrupting Patients for the Right Reasons
Not long ago I entered an exam room and was met by a mother who immediately began talking. From the chaotic feeding to her sequence of formula roulette and the staccato of the baby’s cry, she delivered a near full history of present illness in the span of 45 seconds. And all with one breath. While I was impressed with her delivery, I couldn’t keep up. So I ... Continue Reading about Interrupting Patients for the Right Reasons
Medical Tests – The More You Order, the More You Explain
I spoke with a young pediatrician recently who complained about her late hours in the office. A lot of calling patients with questions about labs. On cursory review, she seems to do a lot of medical tests. It makes sense. Here’s the math: Two sessions per day of 10-12 children per session and everyone gets a comprehensive metabolic panel (as an example). 48 hours ... Continue Reading about Medical Tests – The More You Order, the More You Explain
How a Language Barrier Creates Opportunity
As a physician in one of the most diverse cities in the United States I often communicate with families with the help of an interpreter. Some see the language barrier as a compromise and a challenge. But it’s really an opportunity. What we fail to achieve with use of words we can bridge with non-verbal communication. Expression, touch, tone, and animation will ... Continue Reading about How a Language Barrier Creates Opportunity
Three A’s of Physician Success: Availability, Affability, Ability
The three A’s of physician success are availability, affability and ability. In this order. It speaks to what patients see as the most important attribute of a physician. Capacity and competence take a back seat to who happens to be around when you’re in need. To some it sounds short-sighted. But it works because average physician know how serves the average ... Continue Reading about Three A’s of Physician Success: Availability, Affability, Ability
The Fixer and the Docent
I went to medical school with a woman who wanted to fix things. As a fourth year medical student on clinical rotations when confronted with chronic conditions she would bang her fists. ‘Just fix it,’ she would say with frustrated urgency. ‘I want something I can fix.’ She wanted the quick hit of making things better. So she became a surgeon under the illusion that she ... Continue Reading about The Fixer and the Docent