In this episode, Dr. Kumar reflects on the value of physical touch in the clinical encounter, a key element of a holistic patient assessment that can reveal important diagnostic information and strengthen connection between doctor and patient.
The Physical Exam Begins with a Handshake
During the height of the pandemic four years ago, I took every precaution to avoid, or at the very least, delay contracting COVID-19. I religiously wore a mask in all public settings, I washed my hands so frequently that my skin became dry and cracked, and I studiously maintained a six-foot distance from others. But…
Rheum for Everyone, Episode 6: What Others Hear When You Ask ‘Where Are You From?’
In this episode, Dr. Kumar discusses brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership.
‘Where Are You From?’ & Other Microaggressions
“I’m actually from Iowa. Where do you hail from?” I replied, in the friendliest tone I could muster. Many readers may already know the context, but I’ll rewind a few moments to clear up any ambiguity. I was in clinic and talking with a kind lady with joint pain. While I was in the middle…
Rheum for Everyone, Episode 5: Morning Stiffness aka When 30 Minutes Feels Like Hours
In this episode, Dr. Kumar discusses concepts of time, flow and what they mean for the patient experience and the rheumatologist.
Can Reconsidering Our Relationship to Time Help Keep Us Present?
“I circled 30 minutes … but it feels more like five hours getting ready for work Monday to Friday and only 15 minutes in a hot bath on weekends,” my patient relayed to me. Greg (name changed, obviously) is an ambitious young professional who has axial spondyloarthritis. He’s also a really funny guy with a…
New Ways to Think about Polymyalgia Rheumatica
As they usually are, the pediatrics are absolutely correct: A child is not just a little adult. The same can be said for the eldest among us: Senior citizens are more than just old adults; they have their own biopsychosocial considerations that we, as rheumatologists, must tend to. Among all the conditions that we find…
Rheum for Everyone, Episode 4: Prognostication—What Rheumatology May Look Like in 2034
In this episode, Dr. Bharat Kumar, physician editor of The Rheumatologist, goes on the record with his predictions for how rheumatology will change in the next 10 years.
Rheum for Everyone, Episode 3: Empathy in Rheumatology
In this episode, Dr. Bharat Kumar, physician editor of The Rheumatologist, discusses the definition of empathy and its role in rheumatology.
What Changes May the Next Decade Bring to Rheumatology?
Is it 2024 already? It seems like yesterday that I stuffed all my earthly belongings into my black Volkswagen Jetta and headed from Lexington, Ky., to Iowa City, Iowa, to start my rheumatology fellowship.1 That was 10 years ago. Now, in 2024, as I go online—particularly on social media—and see the various happy, smiling faces…
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