This won’t hurt a bit

'This won't hurt a bit'.

On a recent Wednesday, Leonard examined Jesse, a 100-pound pooch who is a mix of Leonberger, St. Bernard, and Labrador retriever. Jesse has arthritis and degenerative joint disease, and had her right hip replaced. Leonard, who charges $56 for an office visit, checked the pulse in Jesse's back leg, looked at the color of her tongue, and gently felt around for painful spots, which became obvious ...

“This may hurt”: predictions in procedural disclosure may do harm

The practice of “procedural disclosure” involves clinicians providing a description of the sensations that they assume patients are likely to experience during a procedure. The presumed rationale is threefold: as a corollary of the principle of informed consent; as part of truth telling in the clinician-patient relationship that fosters trust; and to help patients cope with procedures. But this...

"This may sting a bit": cutting CME's ties to pharma.

A recent proposal to address conflicts of interest in academic medical centers suggested that industry support of continuing medical education (CME) activities should be limited to contributions to a central fund that would disburse the money to programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. The authors of the proposal reason that this arrangement would " per...

Grievous Hurt

Sir,?With reference to Senior Sub-Asst. Surgeon C. R. Chetty's reply in your August number, to my query I may state that I was not ignorant of the definition of Grievous Hurt. Now the question for decision is whether loosening of a tooth conns under the bending of dislocation ? Dislocation means forcible displacement, of one of the bones entering into an articulation, as the result of an injury...

Can reassurance hurt ?