JohnWyatt Crosby
ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR
- 8/14/2012
How to cut down antibiotic overuse
We have probably all been there. It's 8 p.m. on the day before their vacation and two parents huddle over their two-year-old who has a cold. You are exhausted after a 14-hour day and just want to get home to a nice chilled glass of white wine and the peace and quiet of your living room, sit and stare off into the middle distance and think of nothing. - 7/26/2012
Tips for getting along with your pharmacist
Family doctors in Cambridge, Ont., where I work, had a meeting with local pharmacists and here are some tips for making their job easier—which will help your patients and you. - 7/18/2012
My approach to helping patients lose weight
“Doctor, I don’t eat anything and I’m gaining weight.” When I was young and foolish I used to get really snarky with patients who said this but now that I'm old and wise I remain non-judgmental. A lot of obese patients really don't eat a lot but are immobilized by their weight. - 6/26/2012
Considering nursing home work? Here's a preview
I find that by visiting the nursing home three times a week for a few hours, the job is much easier and I nip problems in the bud. The staff, patients and their families love it and I have one of the fewest rates of emergency department transfers in our area of 35 homes. - 6/19/2012
The art of treating depression
Depression is so hard to treat because it often comes disguised as organic disease. Anyone with unexplained pain, fatigue or weight loss who has a normal history and physical, lab (CBC and STSH, electrolytes, blood sugar) and imaging should be suspected. Refer the patient to a specialist if you (or they) are unsure about the diagnosis. - 6/10/2012
Discharging patients from the hospital: a thankless task
I work as a medical consultant on emergency wait times for eight hours of my week. A huge factor in emergency flow is backup of patients from the wards into the ER. There is little incentive to send patients home and huge disincentives. - 5/23/2012
Tricks of the trade: lessons from 38 years in medicine
Here are some things I have learned (some the hard way) over the last 38 years of emergency medicine and general practice. - 5/16/2012
Would you fire your patient for non-compliance?
I recently read where a pediatrician fired a family for refusing immunizations. Also, a few years ago I read of a patient in Western Canada who was fired for smoking. - 4/25/2012
My best and worst educational experiences ever
I went to a talk last week and it was the best CME I've done in my 42 years as a medical student and doctor. The week before I had my worst one. What was the difference? - 4/18/2012
How two rite good
Stephen King wrote a great book on how to be an author and he makes the very good point that it is a job like any other—you have to devote time and concentration to it.
