John Henning Schumann
John Henning Schumann, M.D., is an internal medicine physician and writer (http://glasshospital.com). He has contributedto Slate,The Atlantic,Marketplace, and National Public Radio’s health blog,Shots.
Schumann serves as guest host forStudio Tulsa on health-related themes. You can hear his segment Medical Monday every Monday at 11:30 a.m. on KWGS.
Dr. Schumann is the President of OU-Tulsa. You can find him on twitter@GlassHospital.
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Industrialized medical care drives up costs and leaves doctors and patients frazzled. Now some doctors are trying a more deliberate and mindful approach to the practice of medicine.
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A young doctor put on a protective suit so he could examine a man who might be sick with SARS. It was hard to tell who was more frightened: the doctor or the patient.
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In everyday medical care, the practice of reflection is too often overlooked. Remembrance is what makes us human. Keeping tabs on who has died over the years keeps one doctor humble.
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No single concept has permeated American medical culture to the extent that our anxiety about cholesterol has. Old or young, man or woman, rich or poor — everyone wants a cholesterol test.
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Medicine's shift from paper to computers has been painful and expensive. But now doctors can easily write and transmit prescriptions by computer, saving money and improving the quality of care.
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Patients feel more satisfied with their care when their doctors take a minute to sit down beside them. But harried doctors often fail to remember niceties like that. All the memorization of medical school seems to crowd out common courtesy, especially for interns just starting to see patients.
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By the end of December, interns are nearing the midpoint of their first year of intense, hands-on work with patients. That's long enough for the young doctors to feel committed to their chosen career but not nearly far enough along to see the finish line.
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Unlike airlines, hospitals don't offer perks or first class upgrades to people who frequently visit the emergency room. In fact, patients like these often get worse customer service, like the apocryphal boy who cried, "Wolf!"
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Some primary care doctors feel a bit like airline ticket agents. Seeing patients is like trying to find seats for passengers on an oversold airplane. Someone's going to leave the office unhappy, and the computer work never seems to stop.