<p>The opioid crisis was precipitated by physicians overprescribing opioid pain medication, egged on by the pharmaceutical industry, contributing to suffering and death from addiction and overdose. Now, many physicians are forcibly cutting patients off of opioids and refusing to prescribe in the setting of a backlash, contributing to suffering from pain, and death from suicide. Saul and Stefan consider some of the striking similarities in how we -- the medical profession -- are getting it wrong on both sides of the crisis, why, and what we can do about it. </p>

The opioid crisis was precipitated by physicians overprescribing opioid pain medication, egged on by the pharmaceutical industry, contributing to suffering and death from addiction and overdose. Now, many physicians are forcibly cutting patients off of opioids and refusing to prescribe in the setting of a backlash, contributing to suffering from pain, and death from suicide. Saul and Stefan consider some of the striking similarities in how we -- the medical profession -- are getting it wrong on both sides of the crisis, why, and what we can do about it.

Opioids and the physician-patient relationship: What are we getting wrong?

Doctors and other health care professionals are too often socialized and pressured to become "efficient task completers" rather than healers, which leads to unengaged and unimaginative medical practice, burnout, and diminished quality of care. It doesn't have to be that way.  

With a range of thoughtful guests, co-hosts Saul Weiner MD and Stefan Kertesz MD MS, interrogate the culture and context in which clinicians are trained and practice for their implications for patient care and clinician well-being. The podcast builds on Dr. Weiner's 2020 book, On Becoming a Healer: The Journey from Patient Care to Caring about Your Patients (Johns Hopkins University Press).

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Doctors and other health care professionals are too often socialized and pressured to become "efficient task completers" rather than healers, which leads to unengaged and unimaginative medical practice, burnout, and diminished quality of care. It doesn't have to be that way. With a range of thoughtful guests, co-hosts Saul Weiner MD and Stefan Kertesz MD MS, interrogate the culture and context in which clinicians are trained and practice for their implications for patient care and clinician well-being. The podcast builds on Dr. Weiner's 2020 book, On Becoming a Healer: The Journey from Patient Care to Caring about Your Patients (Johns Hopkins University Press).

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Opioids and the physician-patient relationship: What are we getting wrong?

Opioids and the physician-patient relationship: What are we getting wrong?

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