February 27, 2024 | 1 min read Anybody but the Chiefs By Benjamin Vipler, MD, MEd, University of Colorado Was Osler a sports fan? I don’t know, but I do know that connecting over a shared love of sports has helped me be “closler” to my patients. Maybe it can for you too!
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.
July 25, 2022 | 2 min read Think Positive! By Joan Naidorf, DO Reframing negative thoughts about my inebriated patient would have helped me to care for him with more compassion.
February 26, 2018 | 3 min read Creating a welcoming experience for LGBTQ patients and families By Carl G. Streed Jr., MD, MPH, Boston Medical Center Doing what has been done before will only lead to more of the same for patients who have been discriminated against in society and in healthcare. Be prepared to enter uncharted territory, seek to educate yourself about the unique healthcare needs of your patients.
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 5, 2023 | 2 min read Big “S” And Not Much “OAP” By Emily Rodriguez, medical student, Johns Hopkins Medicine I could offer no medicine, but I was able to give my patient the best treatment possible just by listening and validating.
August 10, 2021 | 2 min read Cancer, Combat, And Patient-Centered Care By Richard Schaefer, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine While caring for a pregnant soldier diagnosed with cancer, I was reminded that learning patients’ stories is vital. Doing so facilitates patient-centered care and meaningful relationships.
hearts 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.
July 13, 2022 | 2 min read “Sorry About That Football Game!” By Richard Schaefer, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine Talking about sports with patients and colleagues is one fun way to build interpersonal connections.
June 11, 2025 | 1 min read What questions do you have? New medical information can be hard for patients to process, especially if it is bad news. Taking time to assess the impact of newly delivered information is an important step in clinical conversations.
"Facilitate finding new ways of having fun and staying busy. Recovery is not punishment." 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.
April 3, 2023 | 5 min read “Get Well Soon” By Aidan Crowley, Medical Student, University of Pennsylvania In the extra minutes I spent getting to know my patient, she shared a secret that allowed me to help her follow care recommendations.
August 3, 2021 | 1 min read Patient-Family Conflict By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine When your patient and their family disagree about medical decisions or goals of care, remember that your primary responsibility is to the patient. Skillful facilitation of family meetings may be necessary, and allowing each person to voice their concerns may be helpful.
January 24, 2024 | 2 min read Grief in the season of joy By Eric Last, DO, Northwell Health, Wantagh, New York After the holidays, I think back on patients who passed in December, an especially hard time to lose a loved one. At this time of year, I make an extra effort to help loved ones process their feelings.
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.
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 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.
Can I have some? 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.
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.
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 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.
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 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 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.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
May 18, 2021 | 2 min read A Question That Transformed my Care of Patients By Rebekah Fenton, MD, Northwestern University Asking patients, “What are you most worried about?” can bring to light unspoken concerns and allow fears to be addressed.
"An Orchid," Georgia O'Keefe, 1941, Museum of Modern Art. November 13, 2018 | 2 min read Seeing the Unseen By Lauren Small, PhD To start seeing the unseen, carving out five minutes to sit down and just listen to your patient can make a difference.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
"If I die, tell my mother I love her. If I get better, I'm going to visit her in Tennessee. She has ten acres and a farmhouse." May 11, 2021 | 1 min read Empathy at The End of Life By Avani Prabhakar, MBBS, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine At the end of life, clinicians who are present and listen compassionately may be entrusted with patients’ final wishes. Attempting to honor these requests is one way to serve.
