Doctors

Visitors check out wireless blood pressure monitors at the Consumer Electronics Show in Los Angeles.

Imagining A Future When The Doctor's Office Is In Your Home

10:57am January 14, 2015

by Nancy Shute

You can now monitor your heart rhythm with your cellphone. Dr. Eric Topol imagines a day when patients will be doing a lot more of their own medical testing, with doctors as advisers.

Health & Safety

Wonder Abides, Even For A Skeptical Doctor

10:05am December 30, 2014

by John Henning Schumann

When science cannot explain patients' recoveries, even a doctor who studiously makes decisions based on the medical evidence is forced to rethink his ideas about hope and miracles.

Woman pushing man in wheelchair up ascending pulse trace graph.

Health & Safety

Is Your Heart Doctor In? If Not, You Might Not Be Any Worse Off

10:15am December 26, 2014

by Jordan Rau

Researchers find that high-risk heart patients in teaching hospitals fared better when their cardiologists were away at national conventions instead of working at their usual jobs. Why?

Sandra Lopez (left) and her dog, Coco, greet hospice nurse Heather Meyerend last fall. In the weeks before Lopez died, Meyerend stopped by weekly to check her physical health, pain levels and medications.

Too Little, Too Late For Many New Yorkers Seeking Hospice

4:27pm December 17, 2014

by Fred Mogul

Evidence shows hospice care can extend life and save money, but only if patients and doctors dare ask for the help. One New Yorker said hospice gave her back life at peace, pain subdued.

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Health & Safety

If Slow Is Good For Food, Why Not Medicine?

9:05am December 08, 2014

by John Henning Schumann

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.

Health & Safety

Why The ER Doctor Asks Patients What's Happening At Home

3:15pm December 02, 2014

by Leana Wen

Some people would argue that the emergency room isn't the right place to deal with patients' personal problems. But the ills that lead people to seek care are often tied to their challenging lives.

Medical residents including Dr. Amy Ho (bottom right) helped with first aid at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.

Millennial Doctors May Be More Tech-Savvy, But Is That Better?

3:04pm November 29, 2014

by Lauren Silverman

Text messages from your doctor are just the start. Millennials are the next generation of doctors and they're not afraid to say "chillax" in a consultation or check Twitter to find medical research.

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Victoria Elizabeth Fischer was presented with a white coat by her grandfather, Dr. Christian Van Den Heuvel, at Georgetown University School of Medicine in August. The ceremony marks the start for each new class of medical students.

Doctor Shortage Looming? Maybe Not

2:34pm November 20, 2014

by Julie Rovner

Physicians have been warning for years about a coming shortage of primary care doctors. But others say primary care teams that include other types of health workers might fill the gap better.

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A survey of more than 400 doctors asked how electronic medical records had affected their free time on the job. The answers weren't pretty.

Health & Safety

Electronic Medical Records, Built For Efficiency, Often Backfire

2:38pm November 10, 2014

by Scott Hensley

Computerized prescription orders are one real advantage. Clicking checkboxes on screen after screen not so much.

A man wears a protective mask as he carries a bouquet of flowers at Women's College Hospital in Toronto in March 2003, when SARS fears about were widespread.

Health & Safety

What A Brush With SARS Taught A Doctor About Ebola

12:45pm October 31, 2014

by John Henning Schumann

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.