In the Weeds

Abstract

Introduction: This week we will go multimedia and use a photo from Lisa Gussak, faculty member in our department. Lisa carries her camera often so she can take the "opportunity to observe the natural world, to see things as they appear in the moment and to reflect, all of which inform the care I provide to patients and their families." I appreciate her work (previously published this summer on Pulse.)

About the photo, she wrote: This image reminds me how medicine and clinical problem solving often directs our thinking deep into the weeds of a problem or a patient’s presentation. This naturally obscures the background and may at times limit our ability to see the entire picture and the whole person.

I also loved a comment on the site about her photo: This is a fabulous photograph. I think Dr. Gussak’s vision, both aesthetically and medically, is impressive. I wish more clinicians had this type of awareness.