A Case for Slower Medicine

Anger is an understandable reaction to a system that dehumanizes patients, that treats bodies as containers of billable ailments and broken parts. But most doctors go about their daily work with good intention – to heal.

Posted in Books, Communication, Informed Consent, Medical Ethics, Patient Autonomy, Patient-Doctor RelationshipTagged , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on A Case for Slower Medicine

Do Adults Need Physicians to Tell Them to Exercise?

Whatever the reasons are that most doctors don’t bring up the issue, one might ask this: Why do adults need doctors to tell them about the health benefits of regular exercise? After all, it’s common knowledge –

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Reducing Cancer Care Costs: The Value of Physicians’ Cognitive Work

We’ve reached what may be my favorite of the proposed ways to reduce cancer care costs, published in the NEJM by Drs. Smith and Hillner. Idea Number 8 is to realign compensation to value cognitive services, rather than chemotherapy, more highly. What the authors are saying is that we’d save money if oncologists were paid more for […]

Posted in cancer treatment, Essential Lessons, health care costs, Life as a Doctor, Oncology (cancer), PolicyTagged , , , , , , , , 1 Comment on Reducing Cancer Care Costs: The Value of Physicians’ Cognitive Work

Stunning Comments on the Risk of Breast Implants, and Cancer

The FDA recently identified a link between breast implants and a rare form of lymphoma. From today’s report in the New York Times: When talking to patients about a rare type of cancer linked to breast implants, plastic surgeons should call it “a condition” and avoid using the words cancer, tumor, disease or malignancy, the […]

Posted in Breast Cancer, Communication, Informed Consent, language, Oncology (cancer), Patient Autonomy, Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on Stunning Comments on the Risk of Breast Implants, and Cancer

Doctors Not Using Email Like It’s 2010

There’s been a recent barrage of med-blog posts on the unhappy relationship between doctors and electronic communications. The first, a mainly reasonable rant by Dr. Wes* dated August 7, When The Doctor’s Always In, considers email in the context of unbounded pressure on physicians to avail themselves to their patients 24/7. That piece triggered at […]

Posted in Communication, Future of Medicine, Health IT, Patient-Doctor RelationshipTagged , , , , , 6 Comments on Doctors Not Using Email Like It’s 2010
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