Patient

OMG You Were a Nun and You're Black?

Deborah Plummer | Posted 01.06.2012

Deborah Plummer

I spent over four years researching friendship patterns of people from all ages in order to write Racing Across the Lines: Changing Race Relations th...

How To Build A Better Relationship With Your Doctor

Dr. Cindy Haines | Posted 06.16.2011

Dr. Cindy Haines

I think it's possible to stay healthier for less money. One of the most important steps to take in getting there is to effectively partner with a primary care provider.

Meet Dr. Chan

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Dr. Chan and Mrs. Geng (not their real names) eased out of their chairs in the waiting room using their matching wooden canes, the kind distributed by...

Violetta Aylward, UK Nurse, Turns Off Man's Life Support By Mistake (VIDEO)

Posted 05.25.2011

A paralyzed man in the U.K. was left brain-damaged after a nurse working in his home accidentally switched off his ventilator, the BBC is reporting. ...

Abortion: The View From Both Sides of the Street

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

12th and Delaware is a film about two clinics across the street from each other -- one run by pro-choice advocates and one run by a Christian group opposed to abortion.

Shame, Guilt and Medical Error

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 11.17.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

In this month's issue of Health Affairs, I write about a medical error I committed as a doctor-in-training. It's taken me two decades to speak publicly about this because of how painful it was.

Facing Fatness

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Very overweight patients have a rough time in medicine, as they do in society at large. Despite the heightened PC environment of medicine, doctors have a hard time suppressing unconscious bias.

"The Invisible Man"

Jerry Zezima | Posted 05.25.2011

Jerry Zezima

When it comes to dentistry, I know the drill: You sit in a chair, open wide and brace yourself as the tooth doctor tries to get to the root of the problem.

Doctor-Writers: What Are the Ethics?

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

There is a veritable epidemic of doctor-writers out there. What is going on? Are doctors suddenly in the kiss-and-tell mode? What about confidentiality? Professionalism? HIPAA?

St. Vincent's Hospital (1849-2010)

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Locking the entrance to the emergency room: there could not have been a more potent image to the final day of St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City.

The Residency Regulators Are Back!

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Medicine is far too complex to apply simple formulas. What really helps doctors-in-training practice good medicine, decrease errors, and maintain a high standard of professionalism is good supervision.

A Singularly Intimate Moment

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

For my first book, "Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at Bellevue," I wanted a title that would capture the essence of the doctor-patient relationship. It is intimate, but in a unique way. It's not a romantic intimacy, but it's an intimacy nonetheless.

Calories and Health Care Reform?

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Counting calories as part of health care reform--who knew? But apparently it's there on page 455. There will now be a national effort at posting calorie counts in chain restaurants.

Why Don't Patients Take Their Meds?

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

A good chunk of those beautifully printed, fully legible prescriptions never make it to the drug store to be converted into actual pills.

The End of Private Practice?

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

With the shift toward the left among physicians, perhaps there will be a stronger momentum toward a single-payer-plan.

Two Steps Forward for America's Health

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Getting the young adults in our society -- the next generation who will be contributing to our country -- to have adequate health insurance? Doesn't sound so nefarious to me.

Interpreter of Maladies and Medicine

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD | Posted 05.25.2011

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

I do spend time doing the things I learned in medical school like diagnosing disease and writing prescriptions, but that turns out to be only a part of the job, often a very small part.

The Truth About Medicare

Francine Hardaway | Posted 05.25.2011

Francine Hardaway

Medicare writes the checks. It doesn't operate on the wrong leg, over-radiate a cancer patient, miss a cancer, or give people too many prescriptions.

The Secret of Patient Care: Lessons From A Bathroom Wall

Dr. Larry Dossey | Posted 11.17.2011

Dr. Larry Dossey

When physicians express caring, empathy, and compassion, the duration and severity of illness are often reduced and the body's immune system is stimulated.

What is a Myelogram?

Helene Pavlov, M.D. | Posted 11.17.2011

Helene Pavlov, M.D.

A myelogram can help your doctor make a diagnosis or plan the appropriate treatment to help relieve back or leg symptoms.

Radiology, Rising Healthcare Costs and Self-Referral

Helene Pavlov, M.D. | Posted 05.25.2011

Helene Pavlov, M.D.

Their expertise increases the potential of capturing the right image for the clinical concern and even more importantly their interpretation of that image is without motivation to suggest surgery or intervention.

Hilarious Video: Health Insurance Companies Ruining Your Love Life?

Sally Kohn | Posted 05.25.2011

Sally Kohn

Insurance companies want to do everything they can to stop us from having a public choice because they like having a monopoly and driving up costs (and their profits). And they'll win, unless you help us stop them.

Too Young For This: Patient of Courage Nomination

Alice Crisci | Posted 11.17.2011

Alice Crisci

I recall choking out "its cancer," for the first time, two small words with a mere nine letters that bear so much weight on the human heart, few can top them. Is this what courage means?