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Patients

The Request for a Blood Test – Why More Testing May Not be Better

December 10, 2018 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: < 1 minutes

I’ve heard it a thousand times. 'The patient wanted testing done.' So the doctor ran a blood test. But few people really want a blood test. What they want is to know that they don’t have something horrible. I’ve seen it a thousand times with young parents. Anxiety competes with their trust in me as we discuss what could be going on with their child. I never ... Continue Reading about The Request for a Blood Test – Why More Testing May Not be Better

Tagged With: Diagnostic testing, Doctoring 101, Medical decision making

Physicians

Clinical Interview Question: What Do You Think is Going On?

November 2, 2018 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: 2 minutes

When I evaluate a new patient, I work to compress data collection and screen time on the front end of the visit so I can free up the remainder of the visit for face-to-face discussion and shared decision making. This intentional visit design is necessary because of the realities of modern clinic schedules. And so the questions I ask and their sequence is important to ... Continue Reading about Clinical Interview Question: What Do You Think is Going On?

Tagged With: Doctoring 101, Medical decision making, Medical Interview

Physicians, Process/Flow

Medical Signs

August 25, 2018 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: < 1 minutes

Medicine is a dicipline of uncertainty. So clinicians are always looking for indicators of certainty. We’re looking for signs. Medical signs. The psoas sign indicates an inflamed retrocecal appendix. A sentinel node is a classic sign of dissemination of cancer into the chest. The Cheeto finger sign (telltale orange fingers reflecting the recent consumption ... Continue Reading about Medical Signs

Tagged With: Doctoring 101, Medical decision making, Uncertainty

Patients

Phronesis: Do Patients Have Clinical Judgment?

January 11, 2011 By Bryan Vartabedian · Reading Time: 2 minutes

I used to think they didn’t but they do. Clinical judgment is the application of individual experience to the variables of a patient’s medical presentation.  It’s the hard worn skill of knowing what to do and how far to go in a particular situation.  It’s having the confidence to do nothing.  Clinical judgment is learned from seeing lots of sick people.  Good ... Continue Reading about Phronesis: Do Patients Have Clinical Judgment?

Tagged With: Medical decision making, Patients

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Bryan Vartabedian, MD

Bryan Vartabedian, MD
Bryan Vartabedian is the Chief Pediatrics Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin and one of health care’s influential
voices on technology & medicine.
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What is 33 Charts?

With a mashup of curated and original content that crosses the spaces of digital health, media, communication, technology, patient experience, digital culture, and the humanities, 33 charts offers unique insight and analysis on the changing face of medicine.

Founded in 2009 as a center of community and thought leadership for the issues doctors face in a digital world, 33 charts was included in the National Library of Medicine permanent web archive in 2014.
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