Oct 19, 2020
"When I later expressed my surprise at the depth of that encounter compared with the prior 12-minute skin cancer appointment, my attending simply reminded me that we were there to treat the patients and not their diseases....While this patient’s disease was objectively improving, her health was not, and it was our duty to fix that."
Medical student Anokhi Saklecha reflects on what she learned about treating patients holistically and addressing more than just their chief concern, from an encounter with a patient with vitiligo.
This essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the October 2020 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.