Denmark is often used as a comparative example in discussions about universal health care systems versus for-profit and privatized health care such as what exists in the United States. This comparison is for good reason; they do better on average…
What COVID-19 Teaches Us About Compassion
One of the few bright rays of light emanating from the fearful COVID-19 pandemic has been the service and bravery of frontline workers who have enabled the safety of the rest of us hunkered down in our homes. Of those…
Medicine’s New Tools Can’t Replace Compassion
Genomics, digital technologies, telemedicine, avatars, precision medicine and now artificial intelligence are set to lead to a transformation in health care. Tools are being created that will accurately predict an individual’s risk of disease, thereby enabling the development of plans…
Why I Spoke with the Dalai Lama About Compassion in Medicine
I distinctly recall the moment I decided to become a physician. I was sitting on a bench in the hallway of Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, beside my aunt and older cousin, as we waited for the physicians to complete…
“Father of Personalized Medicine” Dr. Ralph Snyderman Speaks to Duke Pre-Medical Students about the Past, Present & Future of Healthcare
It is a rare opportunity for an aspiring young physician to meet someone who has altered the course of medical history. Recently, 20 Duke undergraduates in Dr. Madan Kwatra’s course Pharmacogenomics had the opportunity to do just that. Kwatra, an…
The Importance of Physician-Patient Relationships Communication and Trust in Health Care
“Medicine is an art whose magic and creative ability have long been recognized as residing in the interpersonal aspects of patient-physician relationship.” Hall et al.,1981 The physician-patient relationship is a foundation of clinical care. Physician-patient relationships can have profound…
Role of mHealth in PHC
What is mHealth? Mobile health, or “mHealth,” is used to describe any medical or public health practice supported by a mobile device2. A broad category, mHealth has traditionally encompassed mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and other wireless devices, relying on…
The Importance of Addressing Language Barriers in the US Health System
“What the Scalpel is to the Surgeon, Words are to the Clinician…. the Conversation Between Doctor and Patient Is the Heart of the Practice of Medicine.” – Woloshin S, et al., 1995 Currently, 1 in 15 people living in the…
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Its Clinical Potential to Fight Chronic Pain
As the burden of chronic disease continues to rise, patients and clinicians may seek additional treatment pathways to supplement conventional Western medicine. Trends toward holistic and patient-centered care models increasingly draw treatment-seekers toward non-conventional therapies with a history of use…
Tagged with: alternative medicine, Complementary medicine, integrative health, opioid, TCM, Veteran Health
Home-based Primary Care: A Personalized Solution for Aging Homebound Adults
As the baby boomer generation continues to age, older individuals will accumulate myriad chronic diseases that impact their mobility and leave them homebound. Therefore, it will be important to devise innovative and cost-effective means for delivering care to homebound individuals.…
Copyright © 2023 Duke Medicine