Second Opinion

Do You Know Any of These People?

We've got a big problem and people are suffering.

Rebelling against Mandatory Vaccines

Should your doctor or nurse be required to get the flu shot?

How Can We Better Remember to Take Our Medication?

This may be going too far...

Creating Better Doctors?

What if we could give doctors pills to make them faster and smarter?

A New Life for a Sluggish Vaccine

Can a vaccine intended to prevent cervical cancer in women, be used in men?

Misleading BMI

Can we be overstating the obesity epidemic?

Why Do We Still Have Tooth Decay?

Why are we still not fluoridating water?

A Note from the Doctor

Why does the doctor need to confirm an illness?

Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Does it make sense to have an ultrasound looking for an abdominal aneurysm?

What Is Basic Healthcare Coverage?

As we move toward a national health plan, what do we want covered for everyone?

Following Your Moral Compass

Why would a junior surgeon decides to report his superior for an ethical lapse?

Is a Therapist a Psychotherapist?

Given the complex area of mental health how do we know who is best able to treat us?

Overriding Computer Systems

No one likes computer reminders but sometimes they can save lives...

Amenity Units at Hospitals

What's the difference between a Ritz Carlton and a high-end hospital unit?

Care That Is Unlikely to Provide Benefits

Who gets to decide if care is futile?

Thinking Globally in Tough Financial Times

Difficult Doctor Encounters

Why is it that sometimes you and your doctor just don't hit it off?

Prisoners Released with HIV

What happens to HIV infected prisoners when they are released from prison?

Can nurses substitute for doctors?

What happens when nurses do procedures that were formerly done by doctors?

CPR out of the Hospital

Paramedics often have no choice but to provide CPR...

Rating Doctors

When we want a good doctor should we look to online rating schemes?

Swine Flu 101

An answer to some basic questions about swine flu...

Paying People to Get Healthy

Is it worthwhile to give people a financial incentive to be healthy?

Respecting Patients' Culture

Our attempt to be respectful of culture can sometimes backfire...

Abstinent Promises

Who Owns the Medical Record?

What would happen if patients were sent their medical records after each visit?

Journals, Editors and Intimidation

What happens when research questions the integrity of a leading medical journal...?

Private Hospital Beds

Do you often wish you could have a private bed in the hospital?

Normal adolescence: a disease worth treating?

Why do so many teens being treated for ADHD?

Preventing the Spread of AIDS in Africa

While the problem is huge, there are steps that people can take to make a difference... (Part III of a three-part commentary.)

Barrier to HIV Prevention in Zambia

With HIV rates around 75% in many villages what can  be done to limit the spread? (Part II of a three-part commentary.)

One Perspective on AIDS in Africa

How can the rate of HIV in much of Africa be so high? (Part I of a three-part commentary)

When Should You Be Able to Have a Baby

Should there be limits on the rights to bear children?

Why Can't Doctors Just Talk to Each Other?

When doctors don't talk, patient care suffers.

When People Don't Follow Advice

It's hard to understand why it is that people sometimes make decisions that are not in their best interest.

Primary Care Medicine: An Endangered Species

Why is it hard and hard to find a good primary care doctor?

Is There Such a Thing as a Blockbuster Blood Test?

What s so good about a drug test that leads to giving a drug that really has only a tiny benefit?

Generics versus Trade-name drugs

Why is it that doctors still resist generic drugs?

Drug Abuse in the Elderly

Moral Courage

Is there a time when it's appropriate for doctors to break rules?

Harmful Effects of Radiation

Variation in Health Care

Why is it that health care in one part of the country is so different than it is in another?

Free Drug Samples

Free drug samples rarely provide an advantage over older drugs that are safer and whose effects are better known.  In addition this type of promotion only serves to substantially raise drug prices....

Weight Bias

Why is it that fat people often end up with lower quality care and feeling demoralized after visiting the doctor?

Proposition 4: Parental Consent for Pregnancy Termination

Differences in Requirement of Pain Medication

Why do people require different doses of pain medication for similar problems?

Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination

The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine has been extremely heavily promoted, but is it indicated?

Super-Human Doctors

It is in our best interest if doctors take medicine to give them super-human abilities?

A Patch Work That Works

In our mess of a healthcare system, there are some shining examples of a community pulling together for a person...

Sexual Health of Seniors

Perhaps no topic is more actively avoided in discussions between doctors and older people than sexual health...