1. Anonymous essay exposes scandalous doctor behavior
An anonymous and provocative essay published in Annals of Internal Medicine exposes the dark underbelly of medicine where doctors displayed stomach-churning disrespect for vulnerable patients.
The author describes teaching a medical humanities course to senior medical students and asking, "Do any of you have someone to forgive from your clinical experiences? Did anything ever happen that you need to forgive, or perhaps, can't forgive?"
The two experiences described in the essay are particularly shocking. The Annals editors have withheld the author's name from the piece to protect the patients' privacy, and have also penned an accompanying editorial that explains the thought-process behind publishing it.
2. Annals goes 'Beyond the Guidelines' to discuss real-world application of statin recommendations
Multicomponent educational program features challenging clinical cases from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Grand Rounds Sessions
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend statin therapy for four patient groups at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).
While the guidelines are clear, their application in clinical practice might present challenges based on individual patient characteristics.
A multicomponent article published in Annals of Internal Medicine goes 'Beyond the Guidelines' to discuss differing approaches to care for a real patient who does not clearly fit into one of the four groups described in the current recommendations.
The article summarizes a discussion between a cardiologist and an internist about how each clinician would balance benefits, harms, and patient preferences to determine which treatment they would recommend in this case.
All 'Beyond the Guidelines' papers are based on the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.