Empathy

Saleh Aldasouqi, MD, never saw himself as a writer — and initially, not as an endocrinologist — until he learned how much he enjoyed telling stories that show the human side of practicing medicine.

A layperson-delivered, empathy-oriented telephone call program improved participants’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to results of a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry.

The practice of empathy in rheumatology is a science that should be “explored, exploited and adopted” for the best care of patients, according to Leonard H. Calabrese, DO.

Earlier in the week, I was in the middle of a busy clinic, when a nurse practitioner handed me a bag with a present and a letter from one of our mutual patients who came to see her for a follow-up visit. I have been managing this patient’s thyroid disorder for few years.

Over the past few years in this column, I have occasionally shouted out a book I have read and I have occasionally been rewarded by more than a few of my readers then sharing with me their thoughts and experiences of these same works. As the first editorial of 2020, I thought it might be fun to go to my bookshelf and share a number of the titles I have read over the past year.

by John D. Kelly IV, MD

I am extremely excited to showcase our roundtable on immunoautonomics this month. Our thought leaders — including Mark C. Genovese, MD, David N. Chernoff, MD, and Ronald van Vollenhoven, MD, PhD — have given us a glimpse of the intersection of our autonomic nervous system and immune system, which is leading to exciting new nonpharmacological therapeutics of great potential.

Studies of burnout, depression and dissatisfaction among physicians share one common theme – the problem arises from the environment in which modern medicine is practiced. The studies imply that simply changing the environmental demands of a physician may stave off feelings that the physician no longer practices in a noble profession, but rather just completes daily job requirements.

The National Renal Administrators Association Annual Conference is the largest gathering of renal administrators in the United States, bringing together the dialysis and kidney care community and providing professionals of different specialties with learning and networking opportunities.

by Agustin L. Gonzalez, OD, FAAO, ABCMO