The simple definition of ethics is '' a sense of right and wrong.''  And we all know that right and wrong are in the eyes of the beholder. Right?  Morals seem so subjective and personal. However, ethics as a science is not as subjective and malleable as this definition suggests. As individuals and healthcare professionals, medical ...

This past Saturday, I was on the way to an appointment when I stopped to get gas. I was filling up, preoccupied with my thoughts, when to my surprise and disbelief a fully dressed clown casually emerged from a van. But I digress; back to the clown later. This made me recall an incident I had witnessed recently. I was observing point of care ...

Like all Americans, I have been riveted and shaken by the wave of tornadoes and disasters affecting parts of the country like Mississippi, Alabama and, more recently, Missouri. The pain and loss have been heart wrenching, and the stories of survival amidst utter devastation have been incredible.  Survivors  often tell instructive ...

It's that time of year when we get a day off from work to gorge ourselves, watch television and get ready for Christmas shopping. Asked, ''What are you grateful for?'' most people come up with the obvious ''family, health, a job.'' These are all wonderful, legitimate things to be grateful for and which we too often take for granted. Like many ...

There is lots of talk these days about best practices. In medicine these refer to procedures, guidelines or protocols that yield the best outcomes at the best cost. For example it is generally accepted that chest pain patients presenting to the emergency department should have cardiac enzymes done, be given an EKG, and an aspirin. Another ...

Just about everyone knows someone in the workplace whose mantra is ''that's the way we have always done it here.'' People like that are usually afraid of change and so cling desperately to the status quo long after it has outlived its usefulness. There is also an inherent element of power. A new hot shot technologist/scientist/director joins the ...

Millions of people now practice social networking . In fact just about everyone I know has a profile on one or more sites like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Twitter. Some networkers are more aggressive and dedicated than others and spend hours each week updating profiles and announcing to the world everything from their last meal to their emotional ...