Seeking help for mental health problems: Change the culture for providers

“I don’t need meds,” the young psychology major told me confidently. “Or therapy really. Maybe I’ll just touch base with you every once in a while. I should be able to handle this on my own.” The young woman’s physician had been concerned enough in a recent visit about this patient’s panic attacks and passive […]

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What I learned about childproofing from working in the ER

As a new mother, working in an emergency department made me want to go home and childproof every nook and cranny of our house. On a daily basis at work I care for children, most often toddlers, injured at home in various ways. I learned of all the potential household dangers and how to keep […]

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The human physician will soon become history. Here’s why.

In the age of spiritual machines Ray Kurzweil in 2001 predicted: By 2020, a $1,000 computer will match processing speed of the human brain — 20 billion calculations per second. By 2030, it will simulate the brain power of a small village about 1,000 human minds. By 2048, it will have the brain power of the entire population of the U.S. I predict that within 20 to 30 years the computer will replace the venerable physician. Computers can already be programmed to detect sarcasm and read emotions. They can study your face and body language. […]

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Much of the human spirit lies outside a physician’s power

I first met Marie five years ago. A petite, soft-spoken woman in her thirties, she was the patient of one of the residents whom I supervise at our community hospital. Marie worked in housekeeping for a large corporation; she and her husband, a bus driver, had a six-year-old son. Now she was twenty-six weeks (six […]

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3 things Walter White can teach doctors

Breaking Bad has been rated one of the best TV shows of all time, and for good reason. The improbable story of a regular and shy high school chemistry teacher, faced with a terminal diagnosis, turning into a gangster and drug kingpin certainly makes for good television. A compelling storyline set against the backdrop of […]

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It is time for an honest conversation about money and cancer

There are two, old, particularly nasty rumors, about cash and cancer. The first, which seems to be fading, is that scientists cured the disease long ago, but the pharmaceutical industry suppresses the cure so they can get rich selling worthless therapies. This never made sense to me, since the company or person that cures cancer […]

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When patient-centered care becomes patient-dictated care

“I’d like an MRI for my leg pain. I haven’t had an MRI for many years, and I’m worried.” These were some of the first words I heard from a patient I was seeing for a new patient visit. Based on this patient’s story and physical exam, her pain was most consistent with a muscle […]

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