Best of 2022: The Sacred Bond

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Patients and their family for years have been inviting me to their dinners, picnics, baptisms, anniversaries, and funerals. I always felt somewhat awkward when asked to participate in a patient’s life outside of my office or the hospital setting and usually will decline politely. I tell myself I should not blur the lines between patient care and friendship. I broke this rule recently.

The Sacred Bond

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Patients and their family for years have been inviting me to their dinners, picnics, baptisms, anniversaries, and funerals. I always felt somewhat awkward when asked to participate in a patient’s life outside of my office or the hospital setting and usually will decline politely. I tell myself I should not blur the lines between patient care and friendship. I broke this rule recently.

Three Healthcare Hashtags You Should Follow 

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I've sent more than 2,000 tweets since joining Twitter in July 2010. Even better, I've read (and sometimes shared) thousands of other educational, informative and sometimes humorous tweets from fellow rheumatologists, physicians, healthcare providers and others around the world. While following individuals and organizations relevant to you is important, so is following hashtags. Here are three I recommend.

Rheuma-Yogi-ology

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Since the start of the pandemic, my emotions have swung like the pendulum of the hydroxychloroquine efficacy/inefficacy for COVID-19 debate. Stress has always been a part of my life, but it magnified with the recent events in our world. Dr. Lenny Calabrese had cited the benefits of mindfulness meditation to improve immunologic health and sharpen mental acuity. I had seen benefits in my patients, but never could do it myself. How can people meditate and strike a pose when there is so much to worry about?  Stress-eating seems so much more comforting! 

Change from Within

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I attended the #whitecoats4blacklives rally at Dallas City Hall a few weeks ago to support our black colleagues, patients, and friends. It was inspiring, humbling, and emotional. I encouraged other physicians to join me, posting on the Dallas Physician Facebook page that we need to lead by example for our community and our children to fight structural racism. One black physician posed a very important point to my post, “What permanent changes will you make in your personal and professional lives as a result of this? Because not endorsing racism is not the same as not being complicit in it.” 

Reprioritizing your mental health

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With a global pandemic, protests, fake news, real news, politics, home schooling, quarantine, and constant change to our day to day lives looming, the time to reprioritize is now. We need to step up for our patients, staff, loved ones, and ourselves. This week, I challenge you to reconsider how your mental health affects not only your life, but those of everyone around you.

Millennial Doctors: Digital natives and the death of medicine as we know it

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Millennial physicians comprise a wider, diverse population compared to prior generations, including an ever-increasing female physician community. It is estimated that by 2025, 75% of the work force will be millennials.1 This generation grew up in an era of participation trophies and structured childhood schedules, all while watching their predecessors sacrifice work/life balance due to persistent slashing of reimbursement. All of this sets the tone for change.

Pearls Part 2: Common Sense Rheumatology 

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We live in an era where you need evidence in order to believe, but life’s experiences should not be discounted even if we do not have the statistics to support them…yet. In Part 2 of my annual meeting Pearls Trilogy, I present ten tips and observations shared by Dr. Sterling West from his session, "Rheumatology Top Secrets & Pearls".

Should we all be Tweetiatricians?

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The evidence base is currently lacking on whether the use of social media can improve patient outcomes. The reality is that individual doctors and medical organizations have to consciously decide if, why and how to use the various social media platforms.

Life Hacks for People with Arthritis

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Since moving to South Florida (also popularly known as "God's Waiting Room" by the locals). I've learned a lot more about Lipstick Rheumatology. This moniker was made famous by my friend and colleague, Dr. Kathryn Dao, who first wrote about the nuances of being a female with rheumatic disease. This blog focuses on three popular products recommended by my female patients that serve as life improving hacks.

Of Plumbers and Doctors

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A water pipe in my house broke, and I had to call for emergency plumbing service. The next day I went to the hospital, where I was on my two weeks of General Medicine inpatient attending. An elderly man was admitted, cared for, and following this patient's successful hospital discharge several days later, something occurred to me.

Millennial Medicine and Patient Care

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While often seen as demanding, millennial patients have grown accustomed to having direct access to everything and everyone. They tend to be more involved in the clinical evaluation in the office, more concerned about the social aspects of the disease, and are more frustrated with the varying shades of gray in diagnoses and delayed treatment efficacy. What does this mean for you and your practice?