Medicine

Chart review is one of my occasional clinical responsibilities.  The charts I see overwhelmingly document good quality medical care. Last week I saw a chart that gave me pause. 

A friend recently explained why he retired from a long and rewarding career in medicine and medical education, despite still loving his one-on-one interactions with patients. 

Workplace wellness and chronic disease management programs (now encouraged by the ACA) are quite common, but being a $6 billion dollar industry doesn't make them useful. Recent personal experience with one such program has led me to look more closely at the topic.

Was the surgeon a princess, complaining about a pea under her mattress? Or am I a sheeple, accepting a woefully inadequate system? What do you think?

Why does the ‘chief complaint’ make me think about  pancakes and fig newtons? The chief complaint may just be an admission ticket.

Patient satisfaction has become a prominent goal in health care. Is this a good thing?

Life is stranger than fiction. There is an entity known as the ‘ice-pick headache’ but this was different. 

I am often asked by friends and colleagues why I did not become a pediatrician. 

As a child, I looked forward to the infrequent family outings that involved a restaurant. As the eldest of three, it gave me a chance to strut my stuff in front of my sisters: I was allowed to order without much interference, so it was a rare opportunity to have a cheeseburger, fries and the most chocolate item available for dessert. 

“Just keep doing tests. Eventually you are bound to find something.”  She was right, of course. But not in the way she meant.