Erin Paterson, Freelance Journalist Profile

Articles

Why the words doctors use matter more than they think

1 week ago | businessandamerica.com | Erin Paterson

I recently attended a medical conference for the Huntington’s disease (HD) community. Hundreds of people were gathered to collaborate, share knowledge, and learn how to better address the needs of their patients. During the first session, I found it challenging to listen to the presentation and the conversations taking place around me. The detached manner in which people were speaking was troubling to me, so I stepped out for a break. When I returned, it was no better.
Why the words doctors use matter more than they think

1 week ago | kevinmd.com | Erin Paterson |Anna Delamerced |Jonathan Peters |Cindy Thompson

I recently attended a medical conference for the Huntington’s disease (HD) community. Hundreds of people were gathered to collaborate, share knowledge, and learn how to better address the needs of their patients. During the first session, I found it challenging to listen to the presentation and the conversations taking place around me. The detached manner in which people were speaking was troubling to me, so I stepped out for a break. When I returned, it was no better.
A doctor’s emotional struggle with a young leukemia patient

1 week ago | kevinmd.com | Damane Zehra |Emily Hagen |Erin Paterson |Carol Ewig

I am currently working as a senior registrar in the oncology unit of a trust hospital. We admit both oncology and hematology patients in the same ward, meaning we care for patients with solid tumors as well as those with blood cancers. Our hospital has only one oncology ward, which has ten beds. Since it is a trust hospital, most treatments are provided completely free of charge.
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day

1 month ago | kevinmd.com | Erin Paterson |Simone Phillips |Alpa Shah |Dawn Baker

This story is dedicated to all my female friends in medicine. Didi does not love her job. What started as a noble purpose of helping people made her feel as though she has become a glorified customer service representative. She focuses on her Hippocratic oath, all right. She’s an internist in her 30s, seeing about fifteen to twenty patients per day, and she’s fed up with the sense of disrespect.
How empathy transformed a psychiatrist-patient encounter [PODCAST]

Jan 31, 2025 | kevinmd.com | Michael McGuire |Leonard Wang |Erin Paterson

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!In this episode, psychiatrist Chika Oriuwa discusses her KevinMD article, “How a psychiatrist rebuilt trust with a patient in crisis.” She also reflects on her book Unlike the Rest: A Doctor’s Story, sharing an emotionally charged encounter with a patient in crisis. Chika explores the challenges of racial bias in psychiatry and the power of empathy in rebuilding trust.
Navigating patient transitions following the withdrawal of Oxbryta

Nov 21, 2024 | kevinmd.com | Akshat Jain |Michael McGuire |Leonard Wang |Erin Paterson

The withdrawal of Oxbryta (voxelotor) from global markets, announced by Pfizer after a recent data review revealed a rise in deaths and complications, has left sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in a precarious situation. The sudden nature of the announcement caught the patient and physician community off guard, as there was no prewarning. For an already narrow world of options available to people with sickle cell disease, this came as a devastating blow.
The emotional toll doctors face: a book review

Nov 17, 2024 | kevinmd.com | Jennifer Lycette |Jonathan Peters |Brittany Ladson |Erin Paterson

For over twenty years, I’ve had a recurring nightmare: I’m back in medical training, and my patient is crashing. To save them, I must enter my medical orders into the electronic health record (EHR). The only problem is, there are no open computers. I could give a verbal order in a real-life emergency, but those aren’t the rules in this nightmare world. I go from computer to computer, begging for someone to let me use theirs, but all I receive are cold shoulders—and colder stares.
A doctor’s life-changing realization about empathy after becoming a patient [PODCAST]

Nov 10, 2024 | kevinmd.com | Jay Wong |Michael McGuire |Leonard Wang |Erin Paterson

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!Join us for a conversation with Fazlur Rahman, a hematology-oncology physician and author of Our Connected Lives. In this episode, we explore how Fazlur’s journey from physician to patient transformed his understanding of empathy.
How journaling transforms emotional turmoil into healing for caregivers [PODCAST]

Nov 6, 2024 | kevinmd.com | Brittany Ladson |Erin Paterson |Janice Phillips |Katie Boston-Leary

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!We dive into the power of expressive writing with guest Aine M. Greaney, an accomplished writer. Aine shares her personal journey through caregiving, journaling, and emotional healing during a difficult time in her husband’s life. She reflects on how her writing evolved from raw rage to self-reflection, ultimately guiding her toward mercy and understanding. Aine M. Greaney is a writer.
From darkness to empathy: How one ICU patient transformed my perspective

Oct 23, 2024 | kevinmd.com | Emily Hagen |Erin Paterson |Michael Kirsch |Michele Luckenbaugh

My first ICU rotation of intern year was filled with great darkness. It was dark outside as I walked from my car into the hospital each morning before sunrise, and it was again dark when I walked to my car at the end of the day. Less than one hour into my first day in the ICU, a patient’s weak and ineffectual heart stopped beating, and CPR was swiftly initiated. The patient, unfortunately, did not make it. Rounds had not even started, and I already saw a patient die.