Sensible Medicine Friday Reflection 56: Comments that Stuck
Jan 23, 2026
Short reflections on a few offhand comments that shaped bedside manner and clinical choices. Stories include an elderly patient arriving late during a snowstorm and a decision to still see her. Anecdotes range from grocery-store lessons about practicality to caring for immigrant patients and learning who you can and cannot be for every person.
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Lesson From A Cheese Counter
- The host recounts a grocery-store episode where a customer accused him of wiping a knife on his clean apron before cutting her cheese.
- His uncle replied, "what that person wants, we don't have," and told him to save the cheese for lunch, teaching boundary and perspective.
You Can't Serve Every Patient
- The host recognizes he cannot be the right doctor for every patient and accepts that some patients will leave his practice.
- He frames those departures as not always his fault and attributes that perspective to his uncle's advice.
Adapt Bedside Manner To The Patient
- Identify when your default bedside manner fails and adapt to what particular patients need to serve them best.
- When you can't provide what's needed, acknowledge it and consider referring or stepping aside for the patient's benefit.