Guiding Patients Considering Biologics
What are the questions patients should ask their doctors about biologics? Are there rules for starting and stopping biologics?
Blogs
The Errors that Underlie 'Medical Errors' in the News
Upon reading the title of a recent news item - 'Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US' - a feeling of apprehension and dread arose. Very quickly, my worst fears were realized.
Biologic Prescribing and Patient Education
Biologics are big. Their popularity is reflected in their growing use since being introduced in 1998. Biologics have been used by more than 3 million patients worldwide. In 2013, Enbrel, Remicade and Humira accounted for nearly $30 billion in worldwide sales. In the USA, it is estimated that we will spend $220 billion on biologics by 2017.
What It’s Like to Work with a KOL (Key Opinion Leader)
Rheumatology is fortunate to have many "key opinion leaders" (KOLs) to teach, study, synthesize and pave the advances in our discipline. Who are these KOLs and how can we tell them apart?
Why Not Just Kick the TNFi Habit?
Why do we use TNF inhibitors as our first biologic choice? Is it the evidence of efficacy, access, safety, and drug retention, or is it a prescriber habit that merits critique?
RheumNow Anniversary Perspective
Dr. Jack Cush provides a perspective on the first year anniversary of RheumNow.com - a site dedicated to delivering the wisdom, art and science of Rheumatology.
KOLs Predict: What Will the Next Year Bring?
A new subspecialty may emerge. New drugs will be approved (but it will be difficult for patients to get coverage for them). And an American team will win the World Series. All these and more: here are predictions for 2017 and beyond from rheumatologists across the country and around the world.
"A Touch of Humanity": Seven Perspectives on RheumNow
"Making the complex simple, the simple useful, and the opaque crystal clear." Rheumatologists (plus one non-rheumatologist) from around the world weigh in on RheumNow's impact over the past year.
Why My Patients Sit Where They Sit
Where do your patients sit? Have you noticed they don't usually sit where you expect them to? What's up with that, and is there a psychology behind one's choice of seating? This curious observation may portend the nature of the physician-patient relationship or, at the very least, impact the layout of your next clinic.
Do's and Don'ts of Vaccination: a (Very) Brief Guide for Rheumatologists
The five do's and don'ts when it comes to vaccinating your patients.
A New Look at Old Pictures
Google Images is a treasure trove of photos and drawings about medicine. The pictures of RA, though, look as if nothing happened in the last 90 years: the field stagnant, gold the gold standard, biologicals never invented, ulnar deviation rampant and joint destruction inevitable. If early recognition of inflammatory disease is at the crux of modern treatment, why show end-stage disease except as a warning?
“Doctors Don’t Get Sick”
We physicians are clearly better at defining “too sick to work” in our patients than we are for ourselves. After pondering this ill issue, I’ve come up with some wisdom, goofiness and facts.