Medications, like all interventions, shape the ways in which physicians see disease, provide care, define successful outcomes, and organize health care systems. Pharmaceuticals make symptoms and biological drug targets more visible while rendering individuals and their social suffering invisible, thereby…
Too many men who suffer from depression remain undiagnosed. While men are diagnosed with depression at half the rate of women, they die by suicide 3 to 4 times as frequently. Gendered processes of socialization affect how some boys and…
Invisibility of racial and ethnic inequity in clinical research means many important features of disease etiology and symptom presentation are often unaccounted for. Similarly, binary (ie, gay or straight) definitions of sexuality render bisexual women’s experiences invisible, and this invisibility…
Some illnesses and diseases are not apparent to onlookers. Conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, postconcussive syndrome, endometriosis, and many psychiatric illnesses, for example, have symptoms that are not easily or at all measurable. Both clinicians and health…
For years, physicians have debated how best to care for children with differences in sex development (DSD, also termed intersex). Stories of suffering of adults who underwent early surgical intervention for DSD have led many health organizations to call for…
Transgenerational trauma is a potential barrier to achieving a healthy and holistic patient-physician relationship, particularly for Black Americans. Examination of deeply rooted historical injustices that Black patients suffer in health care and how they undermine trust can help clarify connections…
Pharmacists have the same duty as prescribers to prevent inappropriate use of dangerous drugs. Loperamide, for example, is an over-the-counter medication that has been reported to be potentially misused for euphoric effects. Pharmacists and prescribers alike face challenges in providing…
Pediatricians have obligations to respond with care to all children’s clinical and social vulnerabilities. Finding and addressing causes of children’s stress (ie, family separation, child abuse, and trauma) are also obligations. Preventive and rescue interventions should be implemented to address…
Because multiple Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in the United States have experienced historical trauma (HT), it is important to understand HT’s impact on the well-being of the subsequent generations. This article addresses intergenerational trauma transmission, focusing primarily…
Establishing trust is essential to a healthy patient-surgeon relationship. Respecting patient autonomy while seeking to understand patients’ unique perspectives can strengthen trust. This article discusses cultural mistrust, a response shaped by historical iatrogenic harm (ie, unintentional harm caused by health…
© 2026
American Board of Medical Specialties | Policies | Sitemap | Terms of Use | www.abms.org
