On Being a Doctor: The Persian Poet

How often do our patients teach us? Dr. Fitzgerald's patient teaches us just how much can be lost in translation.

Use this essay to:

  • Listen to an audio recording of the essay, read by the Associate Editor for On Being a Doctor, Dr. Michael LaCombe.
  • Consider whether the progress notes you read—whether electronic or paper—communicate something about who the patient is as a person. Could they? Would it be beneficial to our patients? To us?
  • Would it require much of our time or effort to communicate more about who our patients are in our notes?

Annals of Internal Medicine is the premier internal medicine academic journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). It is one of the most widely cited and influential specialty medical journals in the world.

Back to the July 2018 issue of ACP IMpact