September 20, 2023 | 2 min read

Sharing Our Stories

By Hailey Haffey, PhD, University of Utah

Stories we’ve internalized about healing may direct our approach to patient care. Find the one that resonates most with you.

April 16, 2019 | 2 min read

4 Lessons From 12 Years as a Patient-Doctor

By Julia Michie Bruckner, MD, MPH, Children\'s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Our white coats are not shields; they could be traded in for a flimsy hospital gown at any moment. Keeping this in mind, we can think of how we want to be cared for when our time comes, and then give this level of care to others. We can honor our shared humanity and vulnerability in our practice.

July 19, 2021 | 3 min read

Diversifying the clinician workforce (archives 2021)

By Pringl Miller, MD, San Francisco, California

Diversifying the clinician workforce is associated with improved patient satisfaction and outcomes. So, what are we waiting for?

October 21, 2025 | 2 min read

Stroke, breath, care

Swimming taught me the importance of rhythm and breath. During difficult conversations with patients and families, I make room for quiet pauses to give them time to process.

April 11, 2024 | 1 min read

Takeaways from Adam Grant’s “Think Again” 

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Healthcare professionals can benefit from adopting a growth mindset that emphasizes rethinking existing beliefs and approaches. A key strategy is questioning assumptions and biases, which can lead to better decision-making. 

December 16, 2019 | 4 min read

Top 10 Tips to be a Great Consultant

By Aline Charabaty, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Read these 10 tips so that next time your pager goes off, you can be an outstanding consultant!

January 5, 2022 | 1 min read

Bringing my nursing pearls to my doctoring (archives, 2022)

By Nina Wagner-Johnston, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

From my experience as a nurse, I always remember the importance of engaging the whole team. Each team member provides unique insights that can optimize the care of the patient. 

June 26, 2018 | 1 min read

Harnessing Digital Technology for Clinical Excellence

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Digital technology can be leveraged for the greater good of clinically excellent patient care. Social media tools like Twitter enable you to connect with healthcare stakeholders from around the world.

June 28, 2019 | 1 min read

How to Improve Outpatient Handoffs

Consider performing outpatient handoffs and preparing patients when you will be away. This will make your time away easier for your covering colleagues and for your patients.

October 28, 2024 | 2 min read

Spark the change

By Sadiqua Sadaf, MBBS, Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India

To motivate patients toward change, healthcare professionals can focus on building trust and setting achievable goals.

February 3, 2021 | 3 min read

How to Cultivate a “Friendtorship”

By Jared Rubenstein, MD, Baylor College of Medicine, Liz Salmi, OpenNotes Communications, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

A “friendtorship” is an informal peer-mentor relationship between two people with shared interests but different careers. “Friendtorships” can help you develop new perspectives and ideas about your own field.

June 2, 2020 | 3 min read

“Flattening the Curve”

By Madeline Rodriguez, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The pandemic is breaking down the traditional hierarchy of medical education. Opportunities are emerging for faculty to learn even more from residents.

May 17, 2022 | 1 min read

Word Choice Related to Substance Use Disorders

By Beth McGinty, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Words matter; calling patients with a substance use disorder an “addict” defines them by their addiction. We need to ensure that our patients feel comfortable and supported so that they will engage in treatment.  

September 18, 2023 | 3 min read

Do you “need” to say it that way? 

By Gina Piscitello, MD, MS, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Using the word “need” to describe a treatment option may mislead patients and loved ones into believing it should be pursued. Prioritizing patient values and preferences may help reduce this risk.  

April 15, 2019 | 1 min read

7 Things I’ve Learned About Mentoring in 51 Years

By David Levine, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Helping others to achieve their full potential is the most incredible, wonderful, and exhilarating role one can undertake.

July 21, 2021 | 2 min read

Talking With Patients About Safe Summer Swimming

By Jade Cobern, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Swimming is a summertime joy, but it is not without risk. Before patients take the plunge, they should be reminded to always swim with a buddy (never alone) and to apply sunscreen.

August 8, 2022 | 1 min read

988

By Patrick Hemming, MD, Duke University

When we identify patients who are experiencing mental illness, we need to let them know about this new resource in the U.S.

October 16, 2025 | 4 min read

Prescribing humility 

Standard of care is provisional—reassess therapies as evidence evolves. Be open to changing your thinking and practice as new data emerge. 

April 3, 2024 | 2 min read

Military kids serve too 

By Richard Schaefer, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

April is the Month of the Military Child. Clinicians caring for military family members should understand their history and stressors specific to the armed service to give the best possible care.    

December 2, 2019 | 2 min read

Improving Communication Between Inpatient Teams and PCPs

By Stephen Berry, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

While it's not always easy, hospital-based providers need to find a way to connect with the healthcare professionals who will continue their patient's care.

December 21, 2021 | 4 min read

How to Make New Habits Stick, Part 2 

By Howard Chang, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

We can build good habits in our own lives and help patients do the same by implementing the four laws of behavior change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. 

March 6, 2023 | 1 min read

Supporting Menopausal Patients

By Talia Sobel, MD, Mayo Clinic

Women often receive misinformation about menopause and even experience medical gaslighting from healthcare professionals. Clinicians should validate patients’ symptoms, and work with them to improve quality of life. 

November 29, 2018 | 2 min read

Management Reasoning: Diagnostic Reasoning’s Underappreciated Sibling

By David Cook, MD, MHPE

Management reasoning is primarily a task of shared decision-making and monitoring, and is inherently more complex than diagnostic reasoning. A better understanding of management reasoning will offer insights into the causes and avoidance of medical error, clinical practice quality improvement, and training and assessment of health professionals.

October 17, 2024 | 2 min read

Gaming for mental health 

By Barry Bryant, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Understanding the therapeutic potential of video games is important. Clinicians may elect to recommend them for certain young patients struggling with mental health challenges.

February 1, 2021 | 2 min read

The Emperor’s New Curtains

By Charlotte Squires, MBChB, Borders General Hospital, Scotland

Clinically excellent physicians consider the setting of private conversations with patients and families. Quiet rooms with a door that closes are ideal for sensitive discussions.

July 21, 2020 | 1 min read

Medicine is Like Golf

By Barry Bryant, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In both medicine and golf, it's helpful to accept that much is beyond our control. Trusting our ability —grounded in thousands of hours of focused practice—may allow us to have the confidence that our best efforts will usually translate into favorable results.

May 9, 2022 | 2 min read

Talking With Patients About Their Online Research

By Rebekah Fenton, MD, Northwestern University

Patients’ online research may leave them wondering if they have a particular disease. Listen to their concerns, normalize their fears, and provide reputable resources. And remember, sometimes they’re right.  

September 13, 2023 | 1 min read

Firearm Suicides on The Rise

By Katherine Hoops, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Paul Nestadt, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

To stem the increase in self-inflicted gun deaths, we must work toward early and accurate diagnosis of mental illness, as well as advocate for better firearm laws.

July 20, 2021 | 2 min read

3 lessons on clinical excellence from the oncology clinic

By Sajya Singh, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

While shadowing clinicians in cancer care, I learned the importance of spending time to gather the family history, building trusting relationships, and balancing treatment plans with quality-of-life considerations.

August 1, 2022 | 1 min read

Keeping Children Safe

By Katherine Hoops, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Monique Burke, MD, President, MD Chapter of the AAP

The new Safer Communities Act helps clinicians connect patients to mental healthcare. Hopefully, this will reduce youth gun violence, including suicide. 

October 13, 2025 | 2 min read

The word “want” may leave patients wanting 

When prior notes document that a patient doesn’t “want” a specific intervention, elicit the patient’s desired outcome and acceptable trade-offs. Then determine whether “I don’t want X” is absolute or conditional and align the care plan accordingly. 

April 2, 2024 | 3 min read

A dose of reality (TV)  

By Maria Fazal, MD, Baltimore, Maryland

A patient who had severe anxiety and depression told me that watching “The Great British Bake Off” was a helpful relaxation technique. She taught me that shows like this may provide a therapeutic escape.  

November 20, 2019 | 2 min read

“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”

By Laura Pugh, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The gap between cultural systems can be wide. Openness, curiosity, and humility will improve cross-cultural care.

November 12, 2018 | 3 min read

Insights From “A Whole New Mind”

Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind" highlights the importance of cultivating empathy, humor, and the ability to create meaning.

October 10, 2024 | 1 min read

Trust and truth

Nonjudgmental communication can help us understand the true nature of a patient’s condition and motivations. Connecting more deeply with a patient over time allowed us to learn more of the story. 

January 27, 2021 | 2 min read

Gin And Tonic—Cultural Footprints of Disease

By Kittane "Vishnu" Vishnupriya, MBBS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

To mitigate incorrect assumptions about patients who have been infected with COVID-19, we must work to spread truths and to minimize inaccuracies—particularly those that may be shameful or demeaning.

May 5, 2022 | 1 min read

Lessons From Choosing a Specialty

By Howard Chang, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Deciding on an area of practice during medical school reminded me to ask for help when needed and to be comfortable with uncertainty. These skills will help me when I care for patients in the future.    

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. 

April 1, 2019 | 3 min read

Practicing Medicine and Having a Ball

By Wilma Ferthler, MD, Rural Country Doctor, Northeast Kingdom, Vermont

Hope our 2019 April Fool's piece makes you chuckle!

July 22, 2021 | <1 min read

Responding Instead of Reacting

By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When confronted publicly by a colleague, I learned that it is helpful to respond calmly instead of reacting defensively. This strategy will allow us to move forward.

July 28, 2022 | 2 min read

Passing Tests And Failing my Family

By Emily Rodriguez, medical student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Book knowledge about addiction offered me little to support my family members and others affected by this illness. To holistically serve, we need to take the time to connect and genuinely understand each person.

October 7, 2025 | 2 min read

The compass of care 

When the path is grey, reach out to your ethics committee for perspective. They help clarify options and provide guidance, which can improve communication with patients, families, and colleagues. 

March 25, 2024 | 1 min read

Graphic medicine: a picture is worth a thousand words 

By Benjamin Vipler, MD, MEd, University of Colorado

Pictures can often be a more effective way to explain complex medical concepts to trainees and patients than words alone. 

November 19, 2019 | 2 min read

Aging isn’t a dirty word

To many, "aging" and "old" are considered dirty words. Clinicians should fight ageism.

December 20, 2021 | 1 min read

What Patients With Serious Illness Want to Know Most

By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

After receiving a terminal diagnosis, many patients especially want to know how long they have to live, what symptoms to expect, and how to cope with impending decline.  

October 3, 2024 | 2 min read

Patient time 

By Katherine Majzoub Morgan, MD, Brigham and Womens Hospital

Ask patients if they are concerned about the amount of time it takes to engage with health care systems. For those who are, include time as a factor in shared decision-making conversations. 

May 2, 2018 | 1 min read

Top Tips To Improve Your Webside Manner

By Joshua Wadlin, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

You might think your bedside manner is excellent, but how’s your webside manner?

May 11, 2020 | 3 min read

Redefining Rounds—Will The Circle be Unbroken?

By Chase Webber, DO, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

A patient care team performs best when all voices harmonize and creative approaches are applauded.

September 7, 2023 | 2 min read

“Wild Problems” Book Review

By Margaret Chisolm, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When it comes to the big decisions in life, abandoning a rational, algorithmic approach—and going back to guiding principles—may be the secret to happiness. 

March 13, 2019 | <1 min read

Dr. Elliot Fishman, A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Artificial intelligence (AI) will drastically alter all of medicine, with the potential to enhance patient care through improved diagnoses.