By Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter Source: Huffpost As I watched Donald Trump pace behind Hillary Clinton during the second presidential debate, I noticed myself growing increasingly uncomfortable. At the time, I attributed my discomfort to the generalized anxiety accompanying this particularly contentious election cycle. It was only when I saw the Saturday Night Live parody of that debate [...]
By Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter Source: Huffington post The past few years in this country have seen a grassroots effort to change the dialogue on end of life care. Brittany Maynard became the poster child for choice, for autonomy, something we Americans love. She chose how and when she wanted to die and her choice to end her [...]
By Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter Source: Huffington post The Affordable Care Act of 2010 is one of the most impressive changes to our healthcare system since the introduction of Medicare in 1965. But Sarah Palin’s “death panel” hysteria forced President Obama to remove a crucial piece of his original proposal, rendering it less effective, some might say anemic. Section 1233, [...]
By Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter Souce: Huffington Post I’ve watched your action movies on celluloid for a decade, always marveling at your competence and cool. Your decisions on-screen are bold, instant and infallibly correct. You never seem to age, but only to get more beautiful every year. Your life, on and off screen, appears like a fairytale. Your [...]
By Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter Source: Huffington Post I was almost run over by a gurney being pushed by a fast-moving Emergency Medical Technician. He thrust the patient’s chart at me. “Doc, you’ll want to check this lady out quick. She’s not looking good.” The first thing I noticed was the color of her skin. Its greyish green hue [...]
By Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter Source: Huffington Post Her son was feeding her like she was a little baby. A hospital cafeteria-issued tuna fish sandwich sat atop a soggy swatch of cellophane on the palm of his left hand. In his right was a butter knife that he used to excise tiny chunks of the sandwich. As I entered [...]
By Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter Source: Huffington Post Getting a Do Not Resuscitate tattoo on one’s chest is a threat I’ve heard made many times by fellow health care workers. It is a fed-up critique of our inexhaustible system of “do everything” medicine. The suffering we all witness can be grating to the bone. And many of us shudder [...]
By Fran Moreland Johns Source: Huffington Post “Has anybody asked the patient?” Jessica Nutik Zitter raised her hand to pose that question some years ago, at a “Morbidity and Mortality” conference wherein a room full of physicians were discussing treatment options for a dying patient. The doctors continued to talk about surgery A or drastic measure B. Zitter raised [...]
