July 6, 2020 | 3 min read Dropping Out, Surviving, or Thriving By Jina Sinskey, MD, University of California San Francisco The practice of medicine inherently involves intense emotional experiences. Instead of avoiding these feelings, we must embrace them if we want to grow.
May 18, 2023 | 2 min read Ballet And Medicine By Maria Guinle, medical student, Stanford Medicine Medicine is similar to dancing. Learning from mistakes and working as part of a team are necessary for success.
April 28, 2021 | 4 min read The Social Determinants of Clinician Health By David Kopacz, MD, University of Washington When half of clinicians are burned out, we clearly need to fix our workplaces. In the meantime, we also need to care for ourselves, our patients, and each other.
October 1, 2024 | 2 min read Supporting parents before they break By Mackenzie Sommerhalder, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Many patients experience distress because of their role as parents and caregivers. It is a pediatrics “best practice” to screen parents and offer resources for mental health support.
Clinician self-disclosure must be done thoughtfully if it is to strengthen the root of the patient-doctor relationship. January 18, 2021 | 5 min read The Pros and Cons of Clinician Self-disclosure By Howard Chang, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinician self-disclosure, if done thoughtfully, may help some patients feel better understood and strengthen the patient-doctor relationship.
September 30, 2021 | 1 min read The Cancer is Back By Anonymous Physician, Johns Hopkins Medicine I recently lost a young patient to cancer. I was reminded that even when we cannot cure our patient’s illness, we can always show empathy and compassion.
November 8, 2018 | 2 min read How Maintaining Fitness Can Enhance Your Clinical Practice By Mike Rucker, PhD, Active Wellness Maintaining your fitness may prevent burnout, and can be viewed as a gift to yourself, your patients, and your clinical practice.
April 3, 2019 | <1 min read Dr. Lee Akst: A CLOSLER Look By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor When meeting a new patient, Dr. Akst asks himself, "How can I educate and empower my patient to work with me as a team?"
June 5, 2018 | 3 min read 5 Things Residency Taught Me About Parenting By Laura Hanyok, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine A general internist reflects on insights gleaned from residency applied to parenting.
November 13, 2023 | 2 min read How clinicians can address housing insecurity By Craig Pollack, MD, MHS, Johns Hopkins Medicine For patients with housing insecurity, clinicians can connect them with a social worker and share a list of community-based resources. We must also advocate for policies that increase access to safe and affordable housing.
March 16, 2020 | 4 min read Capacity Evaluations: A Clinical Tale in Two Parts By Elizabeth Ryznar, MD, MSc, Johns Hopkins Medicine Patients face medical decisions constantly. Assessing capacity for decision-making protects their autonomy.
January 17, 2023 | 2 min read Finding Meaning By Jaime Jump, DO, Texas Childrens Hospital When my seven-month-old-patient suffered severe neurological damage, despite having little to offer medically, I remembered I could still support her mother through this tragedy. Taking solace in this helps me to be present for my other patients.
October 15, 2019 | 5 min read Simplicity, egalitarianism, and hygge By Aidan Crowley, Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania Danish clinicians appear to be clinically excellent. The key may be finding your hygge.
August 17, 2022 | 2 min read Listening to The How Can Reveal The Why By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine, Meshulam Twerski, medical student, Penn Medicine The way patients express their reluctance to pursue screening can help uncover truths that guide meaningful conversations and build trust.
May 29, 2024 | 1 min read Unstable housing, unstable health By Stasia Reynolds, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Routinely asking patients about housing insecurity can help identify those who are at-risk of poor health outcomes. Understanding a patient's living situation can help you provide realistic guidance.
July 17, 2023 | 3 min read Choreographing Clinical Care By Hanghang Wang, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Exceptional patient care is akin to a ballet performance. Synergistic team interactions, thoughtful decisions, and deliberate actions are all critical steps in the dance of patient care.
September 23, 2020 | 4 min read Lessons From an Elective in Narrative Medicine By Jade Cobern, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Reflection reconnects you with yourself, opens opportunities for mentorship, and brings greater empathy to patient care.
September 6, 2018 | 3 min read Intimate partner violence: How to start a conversation with patients and staff By Michelle Patch, MSN, Johns Hopkins Medicine Preparing and coaching your healthcare team to have open, honest dialogues with patients about intimate partner violence is essential. Failure to screen and address this matter is dangerous, while doing so can save lives.
"Girl with a Bamboo Earring," Awol Erizku, 2009. Used under the fair use Copyright Act. February 18, 2021 | 2 min read Art is Integral to Healthcare By Kamna Balhara, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Sarah Clever, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Engaging with art can address some of medicine’s greatest challenges, including recognizing our common humanity.
June 5, 2019 | <1 min read Dr. David Hellmann, A CLOSLER Look By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor The greatest joy is to know your patients as people.
April 14, 2022 | 3 min read Afraid to Tell The Truth By Kirsten Elin Smith, PhD, National Institute on Drug Abuse When I shared with my clinician that I had previously been a heroin user, she made me feel ashamed. This taught me the importance of listening to patients with nonjudgmental curiosity.
July 24, 2018 | 2 min read Why I Attend My Patients’ Funerals By Laura Hanyok, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine I try to go to my patients' funerals because they are profound and humbling experiences.
Now is the perfect time to seek collaborators for an idea you’ve had brewing. While your idea might not result in a masterpiece like da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" (~1490), it will reduce feelings of social isolation. April 9, 2020 | 3 min read Mentoring While Social Distancing By Ruth Gotian, EdD, MS, Weill Cornell Medicine, Weill Cornell Mentoring Academy The pandemic is a critical time for clinically excellent role models to continue mentoring. Separation creates opportunities to connect in new ways.
March 20, 2023 | 5 min read Lazy gardening By Ken Koon Wong, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Naomi Tyree, MD, Summa Health, Ohio Talking about shared interests, such as gardening, is a wonderful way to deepen relationships with patients.
December 9, 2019 | 1 min read Presence in Final Moments By Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Traditionally, we have "protected" families from witnessing abrupt or unexpected death in our hospitals. This assumption may be incorrect; offering families the chance to be present can be what is wanted and needed.
October 12, 2022 | 1 min read Equity and Inclusion: Beyond The Recognition Phase By Vivian Altiery De Jesus, MD, MBE, Johns Hopkins Medicine Increasing the diversity of minority clinicians is a first step in combatting racism in medicine. We must also ensure that curricula are free of stereotypes and bias.
July 23, 2024 | 3 min read The last gaze: witnessing a peaceful death By Michael McCarthy, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine In Abraham Verghese’s novel “Cutting for Stone” I learned about how to help patients face death. This includes considering the role of spiritual support and ensuring patients feel cared for in their final moments.
September 3, 2020 | 3 min read See Something, Say Something By Kali Cyrus, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine Being an ally for justice to patients and colleagues requires taking action. Doing or saying something, literally anything, when someone is mistreated is better than nothing.
September 11, 2023 | 2 min read AI And Humanistic Care By Daniel Brotman, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine In a clinical world that is increasingly algorithmic, what AI can NOT do is truly understand human emotions. Computers will never appreciate the joy and privilege of connecting with patients.
November 23, 2020 | 3 min read Working With Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence By Galina Portnoy, PhD, Yale School of Medicine In addition to identifying survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), complementary efforts are needed to detect those at risk of perpetrating IPV to prevent future incidents.
August 9, 2021 | 4 min read Hiding in Plain Sight: Just Ask, or You’ll Miss Most Eating Disorders By Angela Guarda, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Although five percent of the population has a clinically significant eating disorder, most aren't detected because clinicians don’t ask. Simply asking,“What is the MOST you would be comfortable weighing?” can help identify a restrictive eating disorder.
September 27, 2018 | <1 min read Knowing the Patient as a Person in Precision Medicine By Roy Ziegelstein, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine We must consider each person’s life experiences – so-called Personomics – alongside the many “-omics” that are essential components of Precision Medicine. Personomonics contributes to how illness is expressed, and ideally how it should be diagnosed and treated.
August 5, 2019 | 2 min read Training and Identity By Laura Hanyok, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine What parts of yourself do you want to bring back into your life that you may have lost during residency?
June 21, 2022 | 2 min read “Can’t you put him down?” By Ivor Berkowitz, MBBCh, MBA, Johns Hopkins Medicine Medical decision making for critically ill patients is complicated and difficult for everyone involved. It is our responsibility to ensure that patients and families are adequately informed to make choices that align with their values.
March 27, 2024 | 1 min read Deepening connections: takeaways from David Brooks’ “How to Know a Person” By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor Healthcare professionals can enhance their connections with patients and coworkers by truly understanding others. Looking beyond the surface, cultivating empathy, and mastering the art of paying attention can help clinicians build deeper relationships.
July 7, 2020 | 1 min read Curbside Care By Marianne Fingerhood, NP, Johns Hopkins Medicine Whether seeing patients in-person or virtually, one of the most important aspects of care is the human connection.
May 17, 2023 | 2 min read Art Cart By Laura Castillo, pre-med, Johns Hopkins University Arts and crafts in the hospital can provide simple joy to everyone. Sometimes a colored sheet of paper and a few well-placed folds go a long way.
April 27, 2021 | 2 min read Lessons Learned From Cancer During COVID By Catherine Ling, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Encourage and support patients to schedule preventative screenings delayed during the pandemic. These are critical to ensure your patients’ health.
"Dreamscape." Painting by the author. September 30, 2024 | <1 min read Approaching the horizon By Jessica Berry, PhD, clinical psychologist My painting, “Dreamscape,” represents the importance of acknowledging and addressing patients' feelings about aging and mortality.
The owl has been used as a symbol of wisdom for millennia. January 25, 2021 | 3 min read How to be Clinically Excellent By Laura Pugh, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine Clinically excellent physicians sit at the same level as their patients, ask them about their fears, and are lifelong learners.
October 4, 2021 | 1 min read Words Matter By Leslie Miller, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine When serving as an advocate for a family member, I noted judgmental language in the EHR. This reminds me as a clinician to consider how patients (and their families) will feel when they read my notes.
Clouds at sunset, Paliambella, Greece. Photo by the author. November 6, 2018 | 1 min read Lessons From Paliambella, Greece By Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Working to cultivate community cohesiveness in the neighborhoods where we work and where our patients live could help community health achieve its fullest potential. Here are a few simple ways to get started.
April 26, 2019 | 2 min read Building Authentic Rapport By Leslie Ordal, MSc, CGC Building rapport is about meeting patients where they are and showing that you’re putting their concerns first. Strong rapport transforms a clinical interaction into a human interaction, which is the heart of patient-partnered care.
March 1, 2022 | 1 min read What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to See The Doctor) By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine A journey through a doctor’s office visit is all too familiar to clinicians and staff, but patients may not know what to expect. Managing expectations provides reassurance and may improve the patient experience.
November 9, 2023 | 1 min read Filling Shoes By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine When assuming care of patients whose clinician is retiring or departing the practice, the priority should be establishing rapport and trust. It may take time for patients to gain comfort with a new approach and treatment recommendations.
February 25, 2020 | 2 min read 5 Things Clinicians can do to Reduce Drug Prices By Justin McArthur, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine Excellent clinicians prescribe thoughtfully—pruning medication lists, advising patients on how to save money, and advocating for change.
January 12, 2023 | 1 min read Pain Talk By Will Frye, PhD, Johns Hopkins All Childrens, St. Petersburg, Florida Chronic pain is sometimes a challenging topic to discuss with patients. I’ve learned that the most important thing is to validate my patients’ experience of suffering.
October 9, 2019 | 3 min read Return to Play By John Wilckens, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine While research findings are critical for clinical decisions, they only support the human art of empathizing with and understanding your patients.
August 16, 2022 | 2 min read Outbreaks as Opportunities By Jade Cobern, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Talking about monkeypox and the return of polio can remind caregivers that vaccinating young children against other illnesses is essential.
May 28, 2024 | 3 min read Catching Zzzs By Kimberlee Parker, DO, MPH, Baylor College of Medicine Many traditional practices, like pre-dawn pre-rounding, disrupt patient sleep. Prioritizing patient comfort can be a form of compassion and contribute to healing.
