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Author: SkepticalScalpel

Searching for Drugs and Crossing Ethical Lines

Back in September, I blogged about a case of a man in Tennessee who was sedated, intubated, and placed on a ventilator without his consent so that an emergency physician could perform a rectal exam looking for drugs. The court...

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Finally, the Ultimate Hospital Rating System

Finding out which hospitals are best is like “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Are you tired of seeing conflicting ratings from such once respected sources as Leapfrog, Medicare Compare,...

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Wording on Charts That Drives Me Crazy

As I exist on the brink of extreme crankiness every day, it doesn’t take much to push me over the edge. Here are some things that do. Why do history and physical write-ups sound like transcriptions of interrogations?...

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Shorten Medical School to 3 Years?

I say, “No.” Here’s why. There is way too much to learn in 3 years. Unless medical education is radically changed, it will be impossible for students to memorize all the unnecessary stuff they still have to...

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Affordable Care Act: Glitches Beyond the Websites

Now that the government shutdown is over, it’s time to focus on the Affordable Care Act. Many have written about website sign-up difficulties including the apparent mother of all the bad ones, healthcare.gov. Here are some...

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Why Are There Intern “Boot Camps”?

A concept that has been percolating in the medical literature boiled over into the mainstream as the New York Times published this story, “Chicago’s Intern ‘Boot Camp’ ” is a rehearsal for life or...

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Turning the Tables: Doctors Rate Patients

Some doctors, tired of often capricious, inaccurate, and statistically flawed ratings of their performance, have decided to fight back. “Pa-Rate,” is a new service that enables physicians and their office staffs as...

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A Follow-Up on Patient Follow-Up

My post entitled “Who is at fault if a patient doesn’t follow up?” from August was well received. There were many comments on Twitter. Here is some follow-up on following up. A surgeon saw a new patient with...

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Ethics Anyone?

Is it OK for a doctor to give a prisoner medications to induce paralysis, intubate his airway, place him on a ventilator, and perform a rectal examination to look for drugs? Is it OK to threaten a prisoner with the above actions...

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