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Ninety Seconds
A worsening doctor-patient communication problem Back in Medical school, we learned that doctors are quick to interrupt patients at the very start of the clinical encounter — my colleagues and I all committed to doing better. Interestingly, that study from the 1980s...
Patients are looking for help, not judgement
How to communicate Canada’s new alcohol guidelines with patients Your patient has just come to an appointment in a panic about their health because of the new alcohol guidelines. What do you do? Canada grasped the world's attention in early 2023 by announcing new...
The Good Goodbye
Last month I closed my practice in the big city because my husband and I bought a house on an island. It was a challenging three-month transition process, yet I had some valuable insights about how doctors can say goodbye to their patients. More than one goodbye....
What’s something you sacrificed to become a doctor?
When I went to Medical school, I sacrificed in ways I did not appreciate until later. I gave up time with loved ones who didn’t always understand my commitment to learning. Friendships suffered, some irreparably. I lost pieces of my spirit to the angry staff...
The four-part closure statement
When I'm working with trainees, many have ideas about starting clinical encounters but few have thought about conclusions. When I was in grad school, a professor spoke with us about how our society doesn't end things well — we'd rather say “see you later” than “this...
CASE STUDY: My patient with opioid use disorder (OUD) has terrible cancer pain.
Identifying challenges when treating patients with concurrent substance use disorders and cancer pain
CASE STUDY: My patient just told me they are trans. What do I say?
Communicating with transgender patients ISSUES IN PracticE Transgender patients experience significant barriers to accessing health care. As with many marginalized communities, physicians as a profession have contributed to the trauma inflicted on transgender people....