Medical school teaches us open-ended questions are best. We are told to avoid interrupting patients, allow them get their whole story out before we jump in—to prompt them only with nods or gentle “hmmm’s” and maybe a “tell me more.” […]
Much like a tree, illness can branch in different directions. When you are at the trunk, it can be difficulty to know along which branch your illness will travel. Why the story of illness matters in my latest article for […]
Too often, we physicians find what we expect to find … we assume and too quickly close our minds to other possibilities. One patient – a regular in the emergency department for his methamphetamine use disorder – taught me how […]
Sometimes a rash is more than superficial. Without looking beyond the skin, its cause can remain undiscovered. Read more in my latest piece in Discover magazine … subscribe (all whole year for just the cost of a few fancy […]
“That’s no Brooklyn spider!” I thought. When an extra moment, another question, a chat about a spider brings the truth. Read all about it in my latest piece in Academic Medicine – a short but memorable lesson from the ward when […]