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.
June 13, 2022 | 1 min read The Crooner And The Waltz By Frank Cacace, MD, North Shore University Hospital Music can convey feelings that are otherwise inexpressible. It can benefit the health, wellness, and healing of both patients and clinicians.
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 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.
February 11, 2021 | 6 min read Checklists and Connections By Neda Frayha, MD, University of Maryland Take five minutes to connect with a patient with no medical agenda. You may be surprised by how much joy it brings both you and them.
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.
July 14, 2021 | 1 min read How to Respond to Off-putting Comments from Patients By Elizabeth Steuber, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Sometimes comments from patients are rooted in their own unmet fears or needs. Instead of reacting to your own discomfort in the face of such comments, remaining curious and asking open-ended questions may help you understand what’s behind such unpleasant remarks.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Illustration from "Jasper and Tabitha Play a Trick on the Coronas." Copyright by the author. 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.
January 14, 2021 | 2 min read 3 Strategies For Responding to Your Patient’s Experience of Loss By Mollie Marr (she/her), MD/PhD student, Oregon Health & Science University Even if you don’t fully understand your patient’s experience of loss, you can always listen, honor feelings, and show compassion.
March 20, 2023 | 4 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.
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 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.
August 14, 2019 | 3 min read What Physics Taught me About Patient Stories By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine As in physics, the answers are usually in plain sight. Listening to our patients with curiosity and humility will usually lead to understanding.
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.
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.
Bagels & Cream Cheese April 28, 2020 | 2 min read Cream Cheese and Kindness By Ivor Berkowitz, MBBCh, MBA, Johns Hopkins Medicine “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou
December 21, 2020 | 3 min read Lessons From a Kitten By Shara Nauth, MD, Western University, Ontario, Canada Pets can prompt reflection about what it means to be human. This may strengthen our connections with patients and improve care.
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.
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 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.
July 22, 2019 | 5 min read 5 Lessons From Visible Ink By Anoushka Sinha, MD, Columbia University It is humbling to remember we are merely characters in our patients' stories. We are neither the author nor the narrator, and certainly not the lead.
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 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.
April 30, 2020 | 4 min read Letting go of Your Agenda By Allison Chrestensen, MPH, OTR/L Compassionate care requires that we trust our patients to guide us.
December 14, 2020 | 2 min read Lessons From a Zoom Thanksgiving Applied to Patient Care By Ambereen Mehta, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine Zoom made it possible for me to connect with many friends and family for Thanksgiving. Patient video visits that include family members from far away may enhance goals of care discussions.
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.
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.
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.
July 16, 2019 | 3 min read 3 Lessons in Hospitality From my Patient By Loveleena Virk, MD, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland Medical Center, California. Hospitality is a human connection through the gift of attention and care. When hospitality becomes our modus operandi, care is transformed from transactional to sacred.
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 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.
April 29, 2020 | 3 min read Connecting Through Shared Vulnerabilities By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine Talking about shared COVID-19 worries allows you to connect more deeply with patients.
April 26, 2018 | 1 min read Forming True Partnerships In Care: Listen To Your Patient By Michael Crocetti, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians Reflecting on caring for a 12-year-old with a complex neurological condition, I was humbled by the parents’ definition of clinically excellent patient care.
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.
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 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.
May 28, 2019 | 3 min read Supporting my Patients who Smoke It's important to make sure that the responsibility for addressing tobacco dependence is placed on the shoulders of clinicians, and off of the shoulders of the afflicted.
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.
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.
March 29, 2018 | 1 min read Top Five Tips For Successful Community Engagement Part II of II: Five specific strategies to gain the trust of your patient’s community, agree on health goals, and together define what success looks like.
December 1, 2020 | 4 min read When Patients Trust Only You By Howard Chang, Medical Student, Johns Hopkins Medicine Through empathic listening, all members of the healthcare team can build rapport with patients in their most vulnerable moments.
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.
June 10, 2021 | 3 min read Why Perfectionism May Weaken Your Relationships With Patients By Maureen Flood, NP, Johns Hopkins Medicine My perfectionist tendencies weakened my relationship with a patient. Being aware of and working to overcome this habit can be helpful for patients and take pressure off healthcare professionals.
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.
May 21, 2019 | 3 min read Telling People Terrible Things By Amy Caruso Brown, MD, SUNY Upstate Medical University Learning to break bad news gently takes time and practice, with the goal of telling the most terrible things to our patients a little bit less terrible.
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.
