June 9th, 2011 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Opinion
3 Comments »
The Doctor’s white coat has been a symbol of the profession for decades. In the 1800’s and up through the early 20th Century, doctors wore street clothes while performing surgery…rolling up their sleeves and plunging dirty hands into patient’s bodies. They often were dressed in formal black, like the clergy to reflect the solemn nature of their role. (And seeing a doctor was solemn indeed as it often led to death)
A 1889 photograph from the Mass General Hospital shows surgeons in short sleeved white coats over their street clothes and in the early 20th Century the concept of cleanliness and antisepsis was starting to take hold in American medicine. Both doctors and nurses started donning white garb as a symbol of purity. The white coat took on more and more symbolic meaning and the “White Coat Ceremony”, where medical students are allowed to don the formal long white coat, has even been a right of passage with graduation from Medical School.
For the past few years, the American Medical Association and other medical societies have debated if it is time for the white coat to be retired. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
June 7th, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Medblogger Shout Outs
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I love finding new physician voices. Here are a few that I’ve been peeking at over the past couple months. They’re worth checking out.
Linda Pourmassina. Linda is an internist in Seattle and one of the finest writers in the medical blogosphere. You can find her over at Pulsus where she offers commentary on an eclectic mix of medical goodness ranging from social media to the subtleties of patient interaction. Really good stuff. Check out The Internet and Delusional Thinking. Beyond her blog, Linda’s Twitter output is the perfect balance of valuable links and dialog. Put her in your feed and she’ll bring you good things.
Chris Porter. Chris is a surgeon who has been writing at On Surgery, Etc. since April. This guy has an incredible voice and offers rare insight into the experience of the surgeon. He has a remarkable way of seeing medicine at its most granular level. When he corrals his narrative in just the right way I expect we may see him on the new release table at Barnes & Noble. Check out his experience as a surgeon in Guatemala. And from the narrow column Blogger template to the liberal use of crazy images, his site offers the raw feel of some of the vintage medical bloggers. His bio reflects the mindset of a next-gen physician: I’m Phoenix-based and world oriented. How can you resist that? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
May 28th, 2011 by GruntDoc in Opinion
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We (especially doctors themselves) like to think docs are smart. While all are very well educated in medicine, it doesn’t mean they’re actually smart at much else. Docs are well known to lose gobs of money in stupid ‘investements’ like Avacado farms and ostrich ranches (and yes, there are those with the chicken ranch problems, as well).
Here’s a dumb thing some docs are adopting I hope goes away quickly, as it’s actually not in the best interest of medicine:
When I walked into the offices of Dr. Ken Cirka, I was looking for cleaner teeth, not material for an Ars Technica story. I needed a new dentist, and Yelp says Dr. Cirka is one of the best in the Philadelphia area. The receptionist handed me a clipboard with forms to fill out. After the usual patient information form, there was a “mutual privacy agreement” that asked me to transfer ownership of any public commentary I might write in the future to Dr. Cirka. Surprised and a little outraged by this, Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
May 27th, 2011 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Health Tips, Opinion
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Social networking allows doctors, nurses and other health professionals to deeply connect and engage with the community and their colleagues.
“We are standing at the precipice of a new online revolution in health care. As more and more health experts embrace the Internet and increase their social media activity, health information seekers will undoubtedly benefit in profound ways.” [Source: Mashable]
Dynamic health and medical professionals engaged in social networking, using Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and YouTube are on the front-line of new modern medicine.
Today’s modern medicine is all about the patient. Participating, partnering and developing a professional relationship is paramount.
While many health consumers are searching the web for support, reassurance and specific health news and information; doctors and nurses continue to question the value of the internet for patients.
Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs are not a waste of time for health professionals because it offers value.
Social networking sites and blogs are a powerful and phenomenal platform to educate patients, raise awareness of health issues and it offers a forum to collaborate and connect. It gives a voice to patients and it allows for the conversation to get started with their doctors and other health care professionals.
Doctors, nurses and other health professionals can help validate what is important for patients.
3 reasons why social networking is not a waste of time Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
May 17th, 2011 by John Di Saia, M.D. in Opinion
2 Comments »
In a nation with 93 million obese people, a few ob-gyn doctors in South Florida now refuse to see otherwise healthy women solely because they are overweight. Fifteen obstetrics-gynecology practices out of 105 polled by the Sun Sentinel said they have set weight cut-offs for new patients starting at 200 pounds or based on measures of obesity — and turn down women who are heavier. Some of the doctors said the main reason was their exam tables or other equipment can’t handle people over a certain weight. But at least six said they were trying to avoid obese patients because they have a higher risk of complications.
Source: visiontoamerica.org/719/report-doctors-refusing-to-treat-overweight-patients/
While I have not specifically “refused to treat” obese patients, I have in a few cases recommended against surgery or recommended weight loss and re-evaluation later. Than again I am not in primary care and do understand what these OB/GYNs are saying. Obese patients do represent more risk when it comes to surgery and that would of course cover pregnancy and child bearing.
Take into account that Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*
The Doctor’s white coat has been a symbol of the profession for decades. In the 1800’s and up through the early 20th Century, doctors wore street clothes while performing surgery…rolling up their sleeves and plunging dirty hands into patient’s bodies. They often were dressed in formal black, like the clergy to reflect the solemn nature of their role. (And seeing a doctor was solemn indeed as it often led to death)
