Articles & Media
Serving Patients Through a Screen
Years ago, when telemedicine first edged into my clinical consciousness, I pooh-poohed it as a second-rate simulacrum, valuable perhaps for rural communities lacking access to specialists, but otherwise hardly worth the crinkly exam paper it was replacing. I’ve staked my entire career on the irreplaceable value of the connection between patient and clinician. But I’ve changed…. More
“When We Do Harm” in Russian
привет Privet! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “When We Do Harm” is now available in Russian! More
“When We Do Harm” in Japanese
こんにちは Kon’nichiwa! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “When We Do Harm” is now available in Japanese! More
Access to Primary Care
“Doctor, it’s taken so long to get this appointment with you!” This is the opening line of so many medical visits, and I find myself constantly apologizing to my patients on behalf of our system. After the pandemic-induced lull in routine medical care, we’re right back where we started—doctors booked for months, patients struggling to get appointments. More
Memorializing Covid
COVID-19 does not seem amenable to grand memorials, at least right now. Perhaps because the millions of deaths from COVID-19 have been diffused so widely, often in isolation—and of course still ongoing—the memorials that are starting to crop up are very human in scale. More
I Feel Safest (re Covid) in My Own Hospital
When it comes to Covid, our patients seem to be moving on. We healthcare workers, however, don’t have that option, as Covid is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Covid may not be the only thing on our mind as it was at the outset, but it’s still part of every staff meeting, every communication, every clinical day. More
Being a Nurse and a Patient
Join Danielle Ofri for a fascinating interview with Theresa Brown, RN, about her new book, “Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient.” Brown has been an oncology nurse and a hospice nurse, as well as an op-ed writer for the New York Times and author of two best-sellers: “The Shift” and “Critical Care. More
Covid: Primary Sources
The Covid Pandemic at Two Years: A conversation about creativity in the face of a global pandemic, from both artists and healthcare workers who experienced it firsthand. More
“What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” in Japanese
こんにちは Kon’nichiwa! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” is now available in Japanese! More
“What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” in Chinese
你好 Nǐ hǎo! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” is now available in Chinese! More
“What Doctors Feel” in Chinese
你好 Nǐ hǎo! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “What Doctors Feel” is now available in Chinese! More
The Beauty of Medical Language
The clinical language is so dry that it sticks in my throat like the grits they used to serve in our hospital cafeteria. It handily abides by our hospital’s infection control guidelines; the writing is so sterile that nary a staphylococcus could hope to achieve mitosis in its midst. It is as though the practitioners of the scientific literature of medicine reached a covert agreement to ban even the slightest of hint of creativity, the slimmest suggestion of beauty. Of course, it was not always that way… More
Imagining Vesalius
While we typically envision the brain as a palpable whole, the spidery latticework of nerves is a more ephemeral affair. At best the nerves come across as limp linguini, flopping languidly over whatever bone, muscle or organ offers a convenient landing pad. Seeing the nervous system entirely disembodied is revelatory. More
Words That Move Us
From beloved songs to unforgettable headlines, from great speeches to hilarious jokes, and beyond, what are the words that move you? Danielle Ofri in conversation with Black Thought, Josh Gondelman and Ammon Shea. More
Covid Vaccination: the Last Mile
The COVID vaccine engenders a unique obstinacy that seems to blot out conversation. We doctors and nurses are exhorted to listen to our hesitant patients and hear their concerns, but this is difficult to do when patients don’t even want to talk. More
