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Category: Letters
January 01, 2017
Confidentiality underpins the trust between doctors and patients. As far back as the 2nd century BC, the great Indian physician, Charak, had stated: "Nothing that happens in the house of the sick man must be told outside, nor must the patient's condition be told to anyone who might do harm by tha...
September 22, 2016
There are always rival hypotheses to explain away the one that is posited as the most likely to be true. Context and Occam's razor – the principle that among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected – ultimately point to which hypothesis is the most likely to b...
October 10, 2016
Daily, I receive 3–4 social media messages regarding the diagnosis, management or clinical dilemmas of acute timelimiting medical emergencies due to snake bite and scorpion sting poisoning. I respond to the caller who has shared clinical signs and symptoms. I also follow up on the progress of the...
October 10, 2016
Incentives, pay hikes and timely promotions enhance the job performance of an employee. In medical institutes, too, satisfied teachers would train students in a better way leading to better equipped doctors and ultimately, greater patient satisfaction. A study in Malaysia links high levels of sat...
July 04, 2016
The Indian Medical Council (Professional conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, state that "Every physician should, as far as possible, prescribe drugs with generic names and he/she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs.". Undergraduate medical students ar...
July 04, 2016
Across the world, homosexuality is gaining legitimacy; stigma and discrimination are gradually giving way to equality and inclusion. The situation in India is in stark contrast to these trends. In this country, homosexuality is an offence as per Section 377 of the IPC. The homosexual community is...
July 04, 2016
"She wasn't like you...wasn't like any politician I've ever known." Ethan Kanin, Secretary of State about US president Allison Taylor in the US serial, 24. When an ethical dilemma arises, the choices we make decide our ethical concerns and moral position in a given situation. In the TV s...
July 04, 2016
The use of drugs to enhance cognitive function and academic performance is clearly a global phenomenon, with the reported prevalence of stimulant use among medical students ranging from 15-20%. A multi-institution study from the USA reported a 6.9% lifetime prevalence of non-prescription use of c...
October 10, 2016
Over-the-counter use of medication via chemists, including the use of psychiatric medication, has always been a cause of worry in the Indian subcontinent. Over the last two years, the rules on dispensing psychiatric medication have become stringent and chemists have to dispense the exact amount o...
October 10, 2016
In the wake of the Medical Council of India's (MCI) take on the promotion of faculty recently, it is clear that the faculty of medical institutions across the country are in a state of alarm. A situation in which the whole onus of research is put on the faculty is quite quirky when there is no co...