Docsplaining is the subject of a recent Postgraduate Medical Journal viewpoint by Dr. John Launer. Docsplaining, as described, is an endemic issue that characterizes physicians as condescending and uncaring actors in their communication with patients. This paper is worth reading if for nothing else than to illustrate the lens through which some physicians view ... Continue Reading about Docsplaining – An Unfair Generalization of Physicians
When Patients See a New Doctor
I recently filled in for a colleague who couldn’t make it to clinic. Families were given the option to reschedule but most were fine seeing me, the new doctor. Some of these children had seen my colleague for years. And few knew what it was like to talk to someone different about their child’s chronic bowel disease. It was kind of a big deal. What were ... Continue Reading about When Patients See a New Doctor
Human Experience of Disease and Patient Expectations
Running an algorithm for the management of a well-typed tumor or a child with a septic joint is relatively easy. But managing the expectations of that cancer patient or nervous mother is something more involved. Expectations are how we imagine the future given what we currently know and understand. Patient expectations are part of the human experience of ... Continue Reading about Human Experience of Disease and Patient Expectations
How to Manage Patient Expectations
One of the most important roles I play as a physician is the management of patient expectations. The reason it’s so important stems from the nature of my work. As a gastroenterologist to small people I work in a grey-zone. I live in the space between intestinal pathology and the complicated lives of growing children and families. And if you know anything about ... Continue Reading about How to Manage Patient Expectations
Keep Mama Happy
“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
The Opposite Problem of the Clinic No-Show
Modern clinics are obsessed with the no-show. This is the clinic patient who makes an appointment but never arrives. Clinics spend a tremendous amount of time trying to solve the no-show. They begin with operational strategy sessions. Then they call, ping, and survey the no-show. Because in a fee-for-service model in a high demand specialty, the no-show is a ... Continue Reading about The Opposite Problem of the Clinic No-Show