The Pill, the Pox and the Limits of Religious Freedom

300 million dead worldwide from smallpox in the 20th century alone.  No wonder the United States Public HealthService is run by a General—fighting infectious disease was a life or death battle back then, and countries that failed to mobilize against the enemy would leave millions dead on the battlefield.
In Germany, as I discussed in a recent post, the urgency of fighting infections led to… (Read more and view comments at Forbes)
 

Is Health Insurance Anti-Life?

Catholic Charities describes itself as a “social justice movement,” one that sees its mission as providing “service to people in need” and giving aid to local agencies “in their efforts to reduce poverty.” Given the role of healthcare expenses in pushing people into poverty, then, you would think Roman Catholic leaders would be big fans of Obamacare… (Read more and view comments at Forbes)

Health Cost Decisions in the Real World

When Rita Volk, a busy college student, first experienced a nagging sensation in her right ear, she ignored it. Even though she felt like she was traveling in an under-pressurized airplane, Volk assumed the problem would go away.
But it persisted, and her primary care doctor recommended she see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist…(Read more and view comments at News&Observer)
 
 

My Take on Shared Decision Making

Put simply, shared decision making is the gold standard — the sine qua non* — for how medical decisions ought to be made. The pipe medical choice is rarely a function of medical facts alone. Tough decisions require value judgments, and it is the patient’s valuesthat often determine which choice is best.
An operation cannot be a “success” unless it was the right course of action to take for an individual patient… (Read more and view comments at IMDF)

Beware Overreaching Government Efforts to Detect Breast Cancer

JoAnn Pushkin’s breast cancer was diagnosed at an advanced stage because the density of her breasts obscured the tumor on her mammograms. That was shocking news to Pushkin, who only learned that her breasts were radiologically dense at the time of her diagnosis. Activated by this revelation, she has become a leading advocate of legislation, like that recently passed in the state of New York…(Read more and view comments at Forbes)

Autographed Copies of Critical Decisions Available

I’m happy to say that my favorite independent bookstore, Flyleaf Books, is working with me to make autographed copies of Critical Decisions available to anyone who orders through them.

  • You can order on their website: www.flyleafbooks.com
    • If you do, add a note to your order asking for an autographed copy
  • Or you can order the old fashioned way, and call them at 919-942-7373

Order now and be the first in your circle of friends to have what will no doubt become a collection-worthy copy of the book!

Is It Wrong for Medical Students to "Tattle" on Their Supervisors?

Alex, a third-year medical student, is in the middle of his surgery rotation. He frequently finds himself rather shocked by some of the unseemly remarks that his attending, Dr. Tate, makes during surgery and between seeing patients on rounds. A highly respected surgeon, Dr. Tate is personable with patients and well liked by them, but his comments to his residents and medical students outside of patient earshot are often distasteful and inappropriate (e.g., “Sure I can fix his heart now but he’ll croak before Christmas” or “It’s hardly worth it to consent her—she’s way too dimwitted to understand a thing” or “This patient was here in January and is so fat that she literally broke the bed”). The other med students also seem put off by this behavior, but no one has said anything to Dr. Tate.
Almost every day at lunch, Alex relates several of Dr. Tate’s comments to his friends…(Read more here)
 
 

PeterUbel