2/15/2013 I recently conducted a phone interview with Dr. Martin Gerretsen, founder of Sea Courses Cruises. I have taught two of his courses on Caribbean trips and loved them, especially the fun days at sea.
2/8/2013 I interviewed Dr. Naveen Tandon, a new family doctor in Cambridge, Ont., by email. He is my 94-year-old mom's physician and communicates by email. I love it.
2/1/2013 Check yourself out on RateMDs.com. It is a sobering experience. If you do get a complaint, look on it as a positive thing. It will help you improve.
1/24/2013 Now that I am 65 my patients ask me when I'm going to retire. They don't care about me, they just don't want to lose their trusty old GP. This is human nature and I am flattered they still want me. Luckily I have no intention of retiring, but I do want to ease back and enjoy life a little more.
1/14/2013 I am happy that pharmacists are now offering flu shots in Ontario. Pharmacist complete an online course and get hands-on training. The more people who get the flu shot the better for all. Some people don't have a family doctor, some don't have time. The pharmacies are often open til midnight, are located all over and often have free parking.
12/20/2012 Haven't we all felt that way, like lighting our piles of paperwork on fire? But put out that match—you can get caught up and stay caught up with your paperwork.
12/17/2012 Dealing with chronic pain patients is one of the toughest jobs in medicine. I start by trying to prevent chronic pain. With anyone in acute pain I try to treat it as aggressively as possible and keep them working and exercising. I tell the patient that it is important to avoid time off and even in my referral letters to physiotherapists, specialists and in notes to employers I stress that we all want the patient to maintain function and work as much as possible.
12/7/2012 For the GP who emailed me that he hated medicine, I had some final advice: I told him to get his children involved and hire some help for the chores. When he said he couldn't afford it, I pointed out that a divorce would cost him half his assets, plus alimony. Lawyer's fees are $300 per hour—much dearer than the guy who cuts the grass.
11/21/2012 In my last blog I spoke of a doctor who hated medicine. Working long hours and constantly running late were making him stressed and unhappy. For starters, I asked him to phone me at a time when he and I had an hour to talk.
11/15/2012 I recently had a doctor from northern Canada email me saying he had lost the joy of being a doctor. He was 10 years post-graduation and used to love his job as a family physician in a mid-sized city, working with 30 colleagues. Now he is just going through the motions. He can barely pull himself out of bed every morning and dreads the hospital and worse, his office.
11/8/2012 I have been an expert witness in more than 200 malpractice cases. Here are some tips to avoid ending up in court.
