Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson raised plenty of eyebrows on Friday when he tweeted, "The Bears NEVER ONCE talked to me" before the 2017 NFL draft. But that's not what Watson said at the time. Prior to the 2017 draft, Watson said in an interview with Rich Eisen that the Bears had talked to him. "I've [more]

Production vs. volatility: Can a quarterback outproduce a bad turnover-worthy throw rate?

Interview with Alex R. Kemper, MD, MPH, MS, author of Follow-up Testing Among Children With Elevated Screening Blood Lead Levels, published in the May 11 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Summary Points: 1. About half the children (six years and younger) with elevated blood lead levels did not receive follow up testing. 2. Nonwhite children, and those living in urban as well as high-risk lead settings, were less likely to receive follow up testing compared to their counterparts. 3. Follow-up testing for children with high blood lead levels is essential for managing lead poisoning and for maximizing cognitive development. 4. Interventions are needed to overcome disparities in care.

Interview with Henry M. Blumberg, MD, author of Update on the Treatment of Tuberculosis and Latent Tuberculosis Infection, published in the June 8 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Summary Points: 1. Tuberculosis is a public health problem. The responsibility for prescribing an appropriate regimen and assuring that treatment is completed is assigned to the public health program or the treating physician, not the patient. 2. Directly observed therapy is recommended for all patients being treated for active TB, this will necessitate the need for greater collaboration between the treating physician and the public health department. 3. Initial therapy for newly diagnosed patients with tuberculosis consists of a 4-drug regimen including isoniazid, rifampin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol. 4. Testing for latent TB infection should be targeted at those who are at increased risk of progression to active TB. 5. Despite its limitations, the tuberculin skin test remains the most commonly used test for the diagnosis of latent TB infection; newer diagnostic tests for latent TB infection are on the horizon. 6. Active tuberculosis should be excluded before beginning treatment for latent tuberculosis infection. 7. Nine months of isoniazid is the preferred therapy for the treatment of latent TB infection.

Interview with Michael E. Pichichero, MD, author of Combined Tetanus, Diphtheria, and 5-Component Pertussis Vaccine for Use in Adolescents and Adults, published in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Summary Points: 1. Need: The combined tetanus-diphtheria 5-component pertussis vaccine is needed; There has been a 300% increase of pertussis among US adolescents in the last three years. 2. Safety: The combined tetanus-diphtheria 5-component pertussis vaccine is safe, as the reactions are the same as the tetanus vaccine. 3. Universal: On June 30, 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics (ASAP), America Academy of Family Physicians (AFAR), and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACID) all recommended the universal use of the combined tetanus-diphtheria 5-component pertussis vaccine or its competitor vaccine for adolescents.

Interview with Matthew H. Samore, MD, author of Clinical Decision Support and Appropriateness of Antimicrobial Prescribing: A Randomized Trial, published in the November 9 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Summary points: 1. Repetitive use of a diagnostic and treatment algorithm to ingrain new prescribing habits was a valuable part of this practice change intervention. 2. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are feasibly implemented in practice settings that lack electronic medical records, including rural communities. 3. CDSS needs to be integrated with tools that save clinicians' time to be sustainable.

This Viewpoint attributes improved understanding of the role of autoantibodies and B-cell activity in MS pathogenesis and the development of effective therapies to the ability of physician-scientists to bring clinical insights to laboratory research and it emphasizes the importance of supporting and encouraging these investigators to reinvigorate science at the bedside.

This Viewpoint proposes a framework for international cooperation among governments and organizations to replace competition and hoarding with equitable global distribution of COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines as they are developed.

In this narrative medicine essay, a psychologist peels back the layers of her reticence and comes to terms with working with transgender patients as a member of LGBT community.

In this narrative medicine essay, an attending physician shares his observations of how the changing nature of electronic medical record (EMR) hospital progress notes—often entered out of sequence and becoming ever longer and more unreadable—can hamper interacting with patients and providing patient care.

In this narrative medicine essay, a group of physicians from an academic program in bedside medicine offer their observations on deficiencies in the assessment of US medical residents’ clinical skills and suggest principles for enhancing the teaching and high-stakes assessment of these skills to improve diagnostic accuracy and achieve truly patient-centered care.

In this narrative medicine essay, a physician reflects on the rise of professional boundaries; on the ways in which such boundaries can in some instances foster uncaring patient-physician relationships; and on ways physicians might balance providing objective medical care and addressing social and economic injustices in the lives of their patients.

In this narrative medicine essay, a physician shares his thoughts about how the phrase “there is no evidence to suggest,” commonly used in the medical literature, can lead to false inferences and suppression of clinical intuition, and suggests four alternative phrases for clarifying inferences and improving shared decision-making.

In this narrative medicine essay, the author describes his experience with a patient referred to as “unreasonable,” and what the experience taught him about the need for physicians to perhaps improve their communication skills with patients rather than jump to labelling them.

This narrative medicine essay summarizes ways in which physicians can use polite and scripted interruption to help patients effectively communicate their medical concerns, encourage further details, improve accuracy of the diagnosis, and set the agenda for the medical visit.

In this narrative medicine essay, a family practitioner tells the story of how her relationship with an old-order Mennonite woman whose newborn son she examined and took to the hospital for cardiac surgery one Christmas day turns to friendship and a relationship with her broader community when the woman stays with her during her newborn daughter’s cardiac surgery.

In this narrative medicine essay, a psychiatrist used her residency to avoid grieving the loss of her brother to suicide but through participation in a grief support group during training she began to thaw enough to remember her brother, watch videos of ephemeral moments like celebrating his fourth birthday, an act that allowed her to see him and her family again.