doctor-patient relationship
Covid Vaccine Heebie-Jeebies
Few patients seem to have specific reasons for declining the Covid vaccine. There’s just a vague hedge, or an abashed, “I don’t know, I just don’t.†It’s as though they have a communal case of the heebie-jeebies. More
The Curious Side Effects of Medical Transparency
We demand transparency in government, charitable institutions, nutrition labels, and middle-school grading rubrics. The medical record should be no different. And yet, in writing medical notes in this new age of full medical transparency, I can feel an awkwardness creeping in. There is something disquieting about knowing that my every word might be scrutinized. 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
“What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear” in Japanese
ã“ã‚“ã«ã¡ã¯ 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
ä½ å¥½ NÇ hÇŽo! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear†is now available in Chinese! More
“What Doctors Feel” in Chinese
ä½ å¥½ NÇ hÇŽo! Beacon Press is excited to announce that “What Doctors Feel†is now available in Chinese! More
How to Improve the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Danielle Ofri talks with Elena Sung from the “Power of the Patient Project” about how to improve the doctor-patient relationshipe. More
Taking Stock of the Second Covid Surge
As the pandemic raged from the winter surge through to the spring slog, my Postmortem folder lit up with a dispiriting regularity. I opened it with dread as it revealed which of my patients had perished that week. More
Danielle Ofri in conversation with Oliver Sacks–Video
Danielle Ofri in conversation Oliver Sacks. Hear the full conversation, ranging from the ethics of using patients’ stories, to the ins and outs of hallucinations, to the relative merits of Bach versus Beethoven. More
“What Doctors Feel” in Korean
안녕하세요 “What Doctors Feel” is now available in Korean! The perfect complement to your bibimbap-and-kimchi lunch. More
A Brush
I had seen death up close, felt its hostile breath pucker my skin, winced at its corroding presence in my lap, recoiled from its imperious barreling into my private space …and it scared the pants off of me. More
EMR Ménage-à -Trois
EMRs have both breathtaking assets and snarling annoyances. But what started out as a tool — a database to store information more efficiently than the paper chart — has inserted itself as a member of the medical team. What used to be a tango between the doctor and patient is now a troika. More
Empathy in the Age of the EMR
We doctors have been reduced to tools of mere data entry. A higher being might peek into our exam room and be unable to distinguish the doctor from the sphygmomanometer. There is at least one upside to this mess, however. The aggressiveness of the EMR’s incursion into the doctor-patient relationship has forced us to declare our loyalties: are we taking care of patients or are we taking care of the EMR? More
The Day After the Elections
Depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide–these are the very real side effects of Trump policies. My visit with Mr. A on the morning after the midterm elections seemed to crystallize all the bitterness of what has been unleashed in this country, and the effects it has on the people who suffer under it. More
Prescribing Democracy
“There cannot be any doubt,†Dr. Rudolf Virchow wrote in 1848, that the recent typhus epidemic was a result of “poverty and underdevelopment.†His prescription was “free and unlimited democracy.†Hmm–a prescription for democracy. Not something you get at your average doctor’s visit. But maybe that’s what we need. More
