by Varun Verma, M.D. | Mar 19, 2020 | Public Health, Physicians
Even prior to the novel coronavirus threat, the hundred billion dollar supplement industry was projected to grow immensely with half of adults report using one or more dietary supplements. Patients have been essentially stuck in a healthcare system that is in fact a...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Mar 12, 2020 | Public Health
On my local NJ parents Facebook group a concerned parent asked the following question – I came across this article showing how Taiwan’s early action greatly curtailed the spread of Covid-19. Do any fellow parents believe we should preemptively close the...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Oct 7, 2019 | Medical Error, Patient Safety & Quality
Since graduating medical school in 2008 I’ve often pondered how so many good people doing their best in the sphere of healthcare can still not prevent so many bad outcomes. After my first daughter was born in 2016 I blogged about our terrifying experience in a...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Jan 21, 2019 | Other
I wrote this poem in 2010 at the age of 28. I wrote it because because even though I grew up in Australia, my parents would always take us to our ancestral homeland of India every two-to-four years and there I would learn about the world outside of the comforts that...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Nov 9, 2018 | Patients
I wrote this before the California shooting. Another tragedy on a daily basis in the US… As long as lobbying groups hold power and politicians do nothing – none of us are safe. Gun violence is endemic in the United States. This should not be a...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Nov 1, 2018 | Medical Error, Patient Safety & Quality
Blog post below is adapted from a talk I gave on 11/1/2018 in New York City at Medshadow Foundation. I want to talk briefly about three things that I see on a daily basis in the hospital – that I believe increases the risk for patient harm: 1- Patients often...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Oct 11, 2018 | Patients
“Before I leave, I want to talk to you about something very important. I want to make sure that nothing is ever done against your wishes, so it doesn’t matter if you’re 18 or 98 years of age, if you’re a patient being admitted to the hospital I need to ask you some...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Sep 17, 2018 | Other
Medical errors are the 3rd leading cause of death (after cancer and heart disease). What can patients do to decrease their risk for encountering errors in healthcare? 1- First be prepared. Have an accurate medication list and the names of your physicians. Even though...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Sep 7, 2018 | Advocacy, Patient Safety & Quality, Patients
Being a hospitalized patient is perhaps one of the most disempowering experiences an individual can face (besides being in war or a prisoner). Patients face constant uncertainty; having no idea what time their physician will visit, when they will be taken for their...
by Varun Verma, M.D. | Sep 2, 2018 | Other
Will physicians go extinct? Artificial intelligence, legislation, profit motives in the health care industry, and clever lobbying by non-physician providers may all contribute to our demise. However, I believe the existential threat to our profession stems from the...
