Alex James was a runner, like his dad. One day, he collapsed during a run and was hospitalized for five days. He went through lots of tests, but was given a clean bill of health. Then, a month later, he collapsed again, fell into a deep coma, and died. His father wanted to know — what had gone wrong? “As I examined his records and studied cardiology literature, I discovered that his cardiologists had failed him,” John James writes in a blog post for Patient Safety Awareness Week. “I’m hopeful the next generation can fix the broken health care industry my generation has created.”

Medical students are launching a challenge to clinical trials that have some residents working more than 28 consecutive hours. In a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the American Medical Student Association urged the government stop residents from working hours they argued are unethical and unsafe. Open School alumni Dr. Lakshman Swamy and Dr. Christopher Worsham weighed in with an op-ed arguing that the conversation shouldn’t just focus on the quantity of hours, but also the quality. They said  “scut” work (i.e., non-clinical work) is absorbing trainees’ time. They ask, “Would America prefer its future doctors to train at the bedside, or at the fax machine?”

At 90 years old, Norma lost her husband of 67 years. Two days later, a doctor and a medical student told her she had uterine cancer. They recommended surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, but Norma had other plans. “We had time to talk to Norma beforehand,” recounts her daughter-in-law, Ramie, who had just read Atul Gawande’s latest book, Being Mortal. “She made it VERY clear to us that she had no interest in any treatment.” Instead, they planned to take Norma on the road with them in their RV, and it turned out that the doctor was on board: “As doctors, we see what cancer treatment looks like every day,” he told them. “You are doing exactly what I would want to do in this situation. Have a fantastic trip!” Check out some of the photos from Norma’s adventures in the RV here, and learn more about how to talk about end-of-life care with patients in PFC 103: Having the Conversation.

Welcome, New Chapters

Instituto de Evaluación Tecnológica en Salud, Colombia

Chest Diseases Allergy and Rehabilitation Center, Pakistan