practicing medicine

The Most Important Part Of A Doctor's Job Is Not Her Bedside Manner

I'm grateful for the therapies that allow us to provide better care for our patients, writes Dr. Katherine McKenzie, but I also realize that these advances have unintended consequences.

Dartmouth Study Looks At When Doctors And Patients Clash Over 'Unnecessary' Care

What happens when you want a test that your doctor thinks won't help? What drives doctors to provide care that they don't think a patient needs? That's what Dartmouth researchers...

A Death, And A 'Changed Life': Traumatic Births Take Toll On Health Workers Too

In a study, more than one third of the midwives and obstetricians surveyed said that they always would feel some sort of guilt when reflecting on a traumatic birth.

She Wiped Her Nose, Then Prepped My Biopsy. Still, It’s Hard To Ask The Nurse To Wash Her Hands

I worried that the blood infection was my fault because I didn’t insist the nurse wash her hands as soon as I saw her rub her nose.

SharingClinic, To Help Patients Tell Their Stories, Opens At Mass. General Hospital

"Hospitals can be cold, scary, lonely places," said Dr. Annie Brewster, an MGH internist. "SharingClinic aims to build community and to lessen this sense of isolation."

Opinion: When The Doctor Must Choose Between Her Patients And Her Notes

The documentation burden on physicians has grown tremendously over the past several decades and reports have shown it contributes to the high rates of depression and burnout in our profession,...

Opinion: American-Muslim Doctor Reflects On Bigotry At Some Top Hospitals, And Beyond

Recently, the wife of a prominent Boston businessman greeted me this way: “So what foreign medical school did you go to anyway?” My response: "Harvard Medical School."

When It's OK To See A Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant — And When It's Not

In one study, the patients who saw nurse practitioners in an outpatient clinic said they were more satisfied compared to those seeing physicians.

Doctor's Orders: Prescribe Exercise To Patients, Make Physical Activity A Vital Sign

"Physical activity has been show to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, osteoporosis, cognitive decline, [hypertension and obesity] even depression, at minimal cost and with virtually...

Local Coverage

Dec 10, 2015

Physician Burnout: It's Bad And Getting Worse, Survey Finds

Researchers found that 54.4 percent of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout in 2014, up from 45.5 percent in 2011.

Local Coverage

Dec 2, 2015

Patients visiting the SharingClinic can can choose from a range of story types and perspectives. (Courtesy: Annie Brewster)

Health Boost: Story-Sharing Kiosk For Hospital Patients Coping With Illness Set To Launch

The project was born out of frustration with a medical system that no longer has the time to really listen to patients, says Dr. Annie Brewster, an MGH internist who's...

Local Coverage

Oct 29, 2015

Study: Black Men With Prostate Cancer More Likely To Get Worse Care Than White Men

Compared to white men, black men with localized prostate cancer were 35 percent less likely to undergo surgery within three months of diagnosis, 45 to 48 percent more likely to...

Local Coverage

Oct 22, 2015

Majority Of Young People With Depression Don't Get Treatment, Report Finds

Only 22 percent of youth with severe depression receive any kind of consistent outpatient treatment, the report found.

Local Coverage

Sep 30, 2015

Shameful Operating Room Moments: Medical Journal On Calling Out 'Dirtball' Doctors

An essay published in the Annals of Internal Medicine begs the question: How many of us are being mocked and crudely disrespected while we're at our most vulnerable?

Local Coverage

Aug 21, 2015

Opponents and supporters of an abortion bill hold signs outside the Texas Capitol on July 9 in Austin. (Eric Gay/AP)

Where Does Life Begin, And Other Tough Abortion Questions For Doctors In Training

"I lose sleep over lots of things, but with abortion we have a choice -- we can either opt in or opt out. We can’t opt in or out of...

Local Coverage

Aug 18, 2015

Practicing Restraint In A No-Empathy Zone: At The Cancer Surgeon's Office With My Son

The surgeon performed a skillful physical exam but provided neither effective risk assessment nor empathetic counsel.

Local Coverage

Jul 22, 2015

Why The Primary Care Problem (Lower Status, Pay) Matters

Specialists make 45% more than primary care physicians, and orthopedists make 224% more than pediatricians.

Local Coverage

May 21, 2015

Predicting The Next Mental Health Crisis: Sometimes We Just Can't Know

For all of modern medicine, predictions are surprisingly fraught with difficulty. Doctors are wrong all the time. That’s a fact.

Local Coverage

Apr 7, 2015

A breast biopsy which illustrates the grey zone of pre-cancer. (Photo: Dr. Michael J. Misialek)

Pathologist: What Women Need To Know About Breast Biopsy Accuracy

The agreement between a general pathologist and an expert was excellent for breast cancer (those with the ability for metastasis), but varied significantly for early cancers and high-risk pre-cancers.

Local Coverage

Mar 24, 2015

Delirious: Study Finds Simple, Humane Fixes For Aged, Disoriented Patients

Delirium is a complicated syndrome, most common among the hospitalized elderly where it’s estimated 29 to 64 percent of patients have it.

Local Coverage

Feb 6, 2015