At last it was time for my cataract surgery. Having had one eye surgery done by a different physician in another New York eye and ear specialty hospital a few months earlier, I knew what to look for and could make comparisons from a patient perspective. As I noted months ago on this blog, I really had no choice of hospitals. If I wanted my trusted doctor to ...
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Hospitals are very focused on avoiding harming patients lately. They have been moving in that direction for a long time, but with health care reform legislation, payments are on the line, which makes something that was a very good idea into an imperative.
In the year 2000, the Institute of Medicine, a non-profit organization that monitors various aspects of medical care, reported that 44,000-98,000 people died each year due to medical ...
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When we told the patient and his family that the mass in his lung was highly concerning for cancer, he didn’t say anything. His daughter asked about his symptoms. His son-in-law asked when and how he could get a definitive diagnosis. His wife asked when he could go home. Finally, he spoke.
“I’m sorry for being so much trouble.” The tone was casually apologetic, ...
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The more I try to help people in this field of mine, the more I realize that it doesn't take a village. It takes a huge industrialized city, all its wires and arteries humming with constant activity, just to try and make one woman better. In this case, one smiling woman in her 50s, ethnicity I couldn't figure and of dubious relevance, who came to our clinic seeking advice about ...
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Years ago I worked as a registered nurse in a busy surgical pre-admission clinic, preparing patients who'd been scheduled for surgery for the upcoming operation and hospital experience.
My workdays were packed with back-to-back, hour-long appointments. Whatever surgery the patient was facing--oral, orthopedic or anything else--every interview followed the same format. I would greet the patient, who'd often bring along a family member, and quickly escort them both into my small ...
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Full Code. Do not resuscitate. Do not intubate.
Ask anyone without a personal or family history of a hospitalization on the implication of these terms and you’d likely get a blank stare in response.
Unfortunately, this incomprehension often rings true with those who need to know it most: the hospitalized patients themselves.
Many clinical reports (see here and here) have demonstrated that most physicians are not only inadequate in discussing code status with ...
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Brought to you by MedPage Today.
1. Glucocorticoids Boost Risk of Blood Clots. Glucocorticoid use significantly increased the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among current, new, and continuing users of the anti-inflammatory agents.
2. Mortality Worse at Critical Access Hospitals. Adjusted death rates among Medicare patients in so-called critical access hospitals, located in rural areas, rose from 2002 to 2010 whereas mortality in ...
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I’m lucky to practice in a national regional anesthesiology center, a hospital with five dedicated nerve block suites, each with the latest in ultrasound equipment, nurses trained in conscious sedation, regional anesthesiology colleagues and infrastructure to support regional practitioners. It seems like there is so much we can do for patients, but really, there is only so much a physician can do. We need a little help from the patient ...
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Years ago, I hired a carpenter to build a deck in my backyard. He showed up with a pencil behind his ear, a spiral notebook, and a tape measure. I told him what I was looking for, and he made a few suggestions. After 15 minutes of measuring and taking notes, he handed me a piece of paper with how much it ...
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A new CDC report is bringing a lot of attention to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria in hospitals and long-term care centers across the country. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, strike critically-ill patients in nursing homes and intensive care units where infections can be fatal in up to 50 percent of cases, according to the report.
Without being able to count on ...
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
Matthew Moeller, MD | PhysicianA gun owner responds to Sandy Hook
Edwin Leap, MD | PhysicianIs Chris Christie too obese to run for president?
Jeffrey Parks, MD | PhysicianPrimary care doctors may no longer be needed
Doug Olson, MD | PhysicianWalgreens moves into primary care, and it’s our own damn fault
Kevin Pho, MD | Kevin's TakeIf I’m wrong about guns, can you please explain why?
Claire McCarthy, MD | Physician