Tag Archives: bedside manner

Each year the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano on March 19 and the Summer Solstice occurs on June 21.   July 1 is also a date to remember, as it should strike terror in hearts of those who find themselves in need of hospitalization.  This is because July 1 is the traditional date on which new medical residents start their practice of medicine in earnest each year, taking care of patients in the hospital without their doctor training wheels.  It is a well-documented phenomenon that, in contrast to all other months of the year, July is the month when medication errors, surgical mistakes and other patient safety problems spike.   Note to self, if you get sick on July 1, try leeches first.

The New York Times wrote last week about a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine,  in which, ”…researchers at the UCSF School of Medicine looked at 39 published studies and concluded that while there is mixed evidence, “our analysis suggests that mortality increases during the changeover months,” says co-author John Young, associate program director of the residency training program in the school’s department of … (read the rest)