June 8, 2022 | 1 min read

I Wonder…

By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine

“I wonder . . .” is a phrase that triggers curiosity and empathy. It can help us support patients instead of labeling them as “difficult.” 

June 4, 2025 | 3 min read

Letting the tea leaves breathe 

Kind gestures, like bringing a patient a cup of tea, may help bridge the gap between suffering and solace. Such thoughtfulness can offer comfort as powerful as any medication. 

July 17, 2020 | 1 min read

Person-Centered LGBTQ Care in the Pandemic Era

By Justin Fontenot, MSN, RN

Patient-centered care requires considering your patients’ wants and needs in their management. ALL patients deserve person-centered care.

March 29, 2021 | 2 min read

Validating Your Patient’s Experience of Chronic Pain

By Jocelyn Fitzgerald, MD, University of Pittsburgh

We must empathize with our patients who are suffering from chronic pain. Working with them to achieve a better quality of life may be a reasonable shared goal.

March 28, 2023 | 2 min read

A Prevention Partnership

By Eliana Perrin, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Obesity is a complex disease that can be hard to treat. Promoting healthy lifestyles while preserving and honoring cultural and family traditions can start with newborns.    

March 21, 2019 | 3 min read

Sitting with suffering

By Margaret "Molly" Hayes, MD, Harvard Medical School

Sometimes just our presence is all we can do to comfort a grieving family. It never feels like enough and it never will be, but it is something. Silence is powerful and doesn’t need to be filled with empty words. Sit with suffering and silence.

June 29, 2021 | 2 min read

Making Jewelry With my Patients

By Deirdre Johnston, MBBCh, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Some clinicians are lucky enough to interact with patients outside of medical encounters. In such settings, recognition of additional facets of their personalities may become evident, which will strengthen the patient-clinician relationship.

January 18, 2024 | 1 min read

“Please pray for me” 

By Youngjee Choi, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When my longtime patient with chronic illness asked me to pray for her, I told her I would.  Whether prayer is something one can offer, responding to emotional and spiritual requests can be an important part of care. 

September 19, 2019 | 2 min read

The Importance of Partnering With Patients

By Michael Crocetti, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

What patients and families need is a clinician advocate who is available to listen, translate complex medical language, and support both the physical and mental health of the patient.

June 2, 2022 | 2 min read

‘68 Chevy Camaro

By Jennifer Eitingon, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

If we limit the way we view our patients, we will miss out on what makes them who they are. By taking time to learn more about them as people, we can connect and offer better care. 

May 1, 2025 | 2 min read

Avoiding medical gaslighting 

Actively listen to and validate patients' experiences, recognizing their unique knowledge of themselves. Providing thoughtful support can earn patients' trust and help them feel better about their circumstances. 

June 11, 2020 | 2 min read

The Power of Accompaniment

By Aidan Crowley, Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania

When there are no further treatment options available, healthcare professionals can still compassionately accompany their patients until the very end.

April 7, 2021 | 3 min read

Humility

By Steve Bierman, MD, Del Mar, California

In medicine, all too often the optimal approach for diagnosis or therapy is not entirely clear. Acknowledging uncertainty with your patient is a sign of a humility that can strengthen the connection.

March 23, 2023 | 2 min read

5 questions I ask every patient (archives 2023)

By Lillie Shockney, RN, MS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

I talk with patients who have metastatic breast cancer about their hopes and worries at every visit. This allows me to give better, whole-person care.  

June 25, 2021 | 3 min read

“Tell me About Yourself”

By Aidan Crowley, Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania

During my recent experiences interviewing for med school, I learned that the best interviewers, like the best clinicians, focused on my comfort and let our conversation flow naturally. Such prioritizations promote deeper human connections

January 16, 2024 | 2 min read

“Too maternal”

By Kimberlee Parker, DO, MPH, Baylor College of Medicine

Being a mother has helped me to be a better doctor. Both roles require empathy, which I express toward my children and patients.  

September 10, 2019 | 1 min read

3 Reasons why Shared Decision-making Matters

By Minas Chrysopoulo, MD, PMRA Plastic Surgery

When patients and clinicians arrive at a treatment plan together, patients feel more involved, confident, and satisfied with their care.

May 12, 2022 | 2 min read

The “Uninterested” Mom Who Wept

By Precious Ndukwe, MD, Howard University

When caring for an overweight infant as a medical student, I wrongly assumed the mother was overfeeding the baby. This experience will remind me in the future to leave my suppositions at the door. 

April 29, 2025 | 2 min read

Soul gym

Our culture frequently celebrates physical strength. In healthcare, the power of emotional fortitude is regularly called upon when encountering patients’ frustration or anger. 

April 3, 2018 | 1 min read

10 tips to support patients with a substance use disorder

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

I’ve devoted my entire career to supporting patients with substance use disorders (SUD). Here are the top 10 tips that I’ve learned over the past few decades.

March 15, 2021 | 1 min read

How to talk with patients who are vaccine-hesitant (archives, 2021)

When speaking with patients reluctant to get vaccinated, listen to their concerns, and convey respect and empathy.

March 15, 2023 | 1 min read

Einstein’s Relativity And Patient Care

By Steve Kravet, MD, MBA, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

Conversations about the passing of time can stimulate meaningful reflections during patient visits.  

January 9, 2019 | 1 min read

The Disease of Loneliness

By Shannon Scott-Vernaglia, MD, Mass General

In an environment pushing us ever faster, making the time to listen will often lead to better patient outcomes and greater clinician fulfillment.

June 24, 2021 | 2 min read

How to Emotionally Support Patients Through Challenging Moments

By Rebekah Fenton, MD, Northwestern University

When I was a med student, I tried to “fix” how my patient was feeling. I learned that many patients need time to sit with their feelings and that listening empathically can be the best approach.

January 3, 2024 | 4 min read

Make a good stack

By Kyle Glienke, MD, Buena Vista Regional Medical Center, Iowa

Like baling hay, connecting with patients on a personal level requires intentionality and consistency.

September 3, 2019 | 2 min read

“Hand-holding”

By Colleen Leavitt, MD, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

Personalized care softens the edges of a one-size-fits-all medical system that perpetuates inequities. For some, clinicians and the healthcare system need to be able to step-up and take actions that support their patients' health.

April 27, 2022 | 2 min read

Listening to Your Patient’s Grief

By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

By listening to a patient’s story of loss, we bear witness and affirm their experience. 

April 16, 2025 | 1 min read

Shared decision making 2.0

We need a new shared decision-making paradigm where all possibilities for care are out on the table, including unconventional ones. A clinician’s humility and openness are especially important now that patients are more emboldened to question the opinions of experts.

July 9, 2020 | 1 min read

The Return of House Calls

By Sajida Chaudry, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Listening and looking closely when visiting with patients virtually in their homes can give us a more holistic picture of their lives and support systems.

April 5, 2021 | 2 min read

Slowing Down at The Bedside

By Sanjana Mathur, MBBS, University of Central Florida

Physically examining your patient takes time and cannot be rushed. Having a methodical approach will help you make accurate assessments when examining patients.

March 14, 2023 | 2 min read

Laughter is The Best Medicine

By Marion McCrary, MD, Duke Health

A smile, a touch, eye contact, and a jovial laugh can be a lifeline for patients in a stressful situation. 

December 19, 2018 | <1 min read

Dr. Michael Carducci, A CLOSLER Look

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Patients with cancer are vulnerable. There are a lot of emotions associated with this diagnosis, and I want to make patients feel that they are not the disease.

June 21, 2021 | 2 min read

Seen But Not Heard

By Nick Sawyer, MD, MBA, University of California, Davis

Some patients sense that their stories aren’t appreciated. Taking the time to sit and listen to patients can build trust and begin to restore their faith in the healthcare system.

December 18, 2023 | 1 min read

The healing power of story

By Shwetha Mudalegundi, medical student, Johns Hopkins Medicine

I used a narrative medicine technique when caring for a patient who mistrusted the healthcare system. By writing his story and reading it back to him, he understood that the care team was truly listening. 

August 19, 2019 | 6 min read

Holding Hope

By Jennifer Goetz, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital

By highlighting the strength and courage of our patients, we can sustain hope for our patients and their families.

April 14, 2022 | 1 min read

“Don’t Worry”

By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine

General reassurances are often ineffective when they don’t address patients’ true concerns.

April 7, 2025 | 2 min read

The connective cure 

By Allison Pugh, PhD, Johns Hopkins Univeristy

The art of genuine human interaction is a vital clinical skill that no algorithm can replicate. This building of connection can foster trust, enable healing, and facilitate holistic care. 

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.

March 22, 2021 | 2 min read

Why I Care About The Costumes in “Little Women”

By Leslie Miller, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

We can build deeper relationships with our patients by talking with them about their passions—from Broadway to zinnias.

March 2, 2023 | 2 min read

Meaningful Chords

By Ben Roberts, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, ACHPN, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When my patient’s wife brought his guitar to the hospital, I realized it’s impossible to overestimate the impact of reuniting patients with what matters most to them. Do what you can to make this happen. 

December 20, 2018 | 9 min read

You’re not getting my f-ing box cutter: paradoxical ways kids ask for limits

By Hal Kronsberg, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The most important lesson I’ve learned as a child psychiatrist is how badly kids want limits when they’re struggling, even when they keep that wish to themselves. Kids are smart, and when we catch them breaking a rule, we need to be curious about why it happened.

December 6, 2023 | 1 min read

Reality bites 

By Carolina Saldanha, MD, Massachusetts General Brigham Salem Hospital 

I constructed what I thought was a great care plan for my patient with diabetes. I later learned that he wasn’t allowed lunch breaks and had nowhere to store his insulin. I now ask the patient about their daily routine to create a realistic plan. 

July 24, 2019 | 3 min read

Time, Talent, and Treasure

By Jennifer Foster, MD, MBA, Florida Atlantic University

Excellent clinicians always strive to make human connections with their patients. This creates the foundation of trust and respect essential to healing.

April 14, 2022 | 1 min read

Supporting Young Adults Who Use E-Cigarettes

When talking with young patients about tobacco dependence, first create a judgment-free zone and ask open-ended questions to understand why they use the product. 

March 13, 2025 | 1 min read

Wearing many hats 

By Jessica Park, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Sharing parts of your identity, for example being a parent, may help you to connect with patients on a deeper level. Shared humanity can create a deeper relationship, which is essential for trust and service. 

May 6, 2020 | 1 min read

Talking With Children About COVID-19 Using Stories

By Taylor Purvis, MD, St. Vincent Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT

In times of heightened anxiety for children, parents turn to clinicians for help. Sharing COVID-19 resources for children, including stories, can help them make sense of the pandemic.

April 19, 2021 | 2 min read

Let Your Patient Dream

By Zeina Moukarzel, MD, MPH, Beirut, Lebanon

From my young patient about to have all of her limbs amputated, I learned about compassion and courage.

February 15, 2023 | 2 min read

Speaking from my heart

By Leslie Miller, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

When deeply worried about the mental health of patients, make sure they feel heard, validated, and empowered.  

December 17, 2018 | 1 min read

How to Make Abstract Concepts Concrete

By Amesh Adalja, MD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

To explain complex subjects to patients, you take an abstract concept and concretize it. This is important for patient counseling, and as a method to check your own knowledge.

November 27, 2023 | 2 min read

When the truth (literally) hurts

By Eric Last, DO, Northwell Health, Wantagh, New York

When our patients are facing surgery or other procedures, thoughtful questions can help allay their worries.