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Victoria L. Wilcox, Ph.D.

Independent Medical Writer

About This Blog

by Victoria Wilcox on

Hi. I’m Victoria Wilcox, and I started this blog against my better judgment. So many health-care blogs already exist that I asked myself whether anyone needs another. Even so, I believe that this blog adds a unique and useful perspective because:

  • White Coats, Paper Gowns focuses on the psychology of health care. That may sound touchy-feely, but many of the most crucial problems in medicine today involve human behavior. They include doctors and patients miscommunicating, patients suffering from medical mistakes, health-care workers rushing through patient visits, and patients continuing unhealthy habits. This blog will not only tackle these and other problems, it will weigh in on proposed solutions such as patient-centered care and shared decision-making.
  • Although many bloggers explore these issues already, relatively few do so with a scientist’s eye. With patients’ lives at stake, we need a solid evidence base for improving health care and, ultimately, patients’ health. That’s why I scout for research that yields insights into patients and health-care workers. I draw on my research training and experience to separate the good studies from the bad. Whenever I can, I’ll put the findings into context to clarify what they mean for patients and health care.
  • I want this site to be a gathering place where people of different backgrounds can respectfully discuss their views and, perhaps, understand each other better. Whether you’re a patient, health-care worker, researcher, hospital executive, or just someone interested in health care, welcome to White Coats, Paper Gowns. If you feel moved by what you read here, I invite you to leave a comment.

Portals Help Patients Spot Medical Record Mistakes, but Then What?

by Victoria Wilcox on

The medical record mistakes jumped out at me through the patient portal. One painted me as an antibiotic seeker, despite my caution about taking drugs. That stung, because my mother suffered from infections that defied treatment, the result of overzealous antibiotic prescribing. As for me, one antibiotic left me bedridden for days; another sparked an… Read More→

Patient-Centered Care Meeting Spreads Planetree Vision

by Victoria Wilcox on

What its organizers deem the oldest international conference on patient-centered care seemed an unlikely mix: part pep rally, classroom, scientific forum, and group hug. In its 23rd year, Planetree’s International Conference on Patient-Centered Care drew about 800 people from 21 countries. Attending as a reporter, I met health-care professionals, executives, and others eager to learn… Read More→

People Who Stutter Speak Out About Health Care

by Victoria Wilcox on

Many of us have trouble talking to doctors, but added barriers stymie people who stutter. Last year, Dr. Leana Wen recalled how a senior resident belittled a stuttering patient in the emergency department; he had assumed that the patient, a lawyer, was stupid. Such attitudes led Hector Perez, M.D., to study the health-care experiences of… Read More→

Review of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

by Victoria Wilcox on

Atul Gawande’s newest book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, says a lot that matters. As a surgeon, writer, and son, he has seen older people and terminally ill patients suffer from health care designed to keep them safe and alive longer. Even if aggressive treatment prolongs life, it may spoil their… Read More→

Medical Scribes: A Reality Check

by Victoria Wilcox on

In this age of electronic medical records, health-care professionals in an emergency department clicked 6 times, on average, to order one aspirin. Viewing an old test result took 11 clicks; documenting a physical exam for back pain, 47. Tired of having to work long hours to finish digital charting, some health-care providers have turned to… Read More→

Patients’ Responsibilities Seem Half-Baked

by Victoria Wilcox on

You see them on hospital walls and hospital websites. Perhaps you even saw one in a patient admission packet if you or someone close to you had a hospital stay. I’m referring to the statements of patients’ rights and responsibilities issued by hospitals throughout the United States and beyond. The very notion of patients’ rights… Read More→

Idea to Spur Colonoscopy Use Fails Test

by Victoria Wilcox on

Having to opt out to stop receiving sales pitches that I never requested annoys me. Now, some health-care leaders want to use opt-out requirements to improve patients’ decision-making and adherence to medical advice. Instead of making patients who want certain health services to opt in by seeking them, the usual approach in health care, they… Read More→

Most Surgeons Want Shared Decision-Making

by Victoria Wilcox on

This might surprise some patients, but a recent study found that most surgeons prefer to team up with patients to make treatment choices. Yet, surgeons tend to decide themselves instead. The study unearthed some clues as to why they do so and where to intervene to foster shared decision-making. Almost 300 surgeons from 60 countries… Read More→

Doc, Can I Ask You a Question?

by Victoria Wilcox on

Patients seeking answers to their health questions online might instead find more questions. I mean that literally: Organizations and pundits have posted lists of questions that they think patients should ask doctors. As near as I can tell, they’ve done so to aid doctor-patient communication, improve health care, keep patients safe, and help patients get… Read More→

Patient-Centered Care? Well, It Depends

by Victoria Wilcox on

  A funny thing happened when I wrote my last post for White Coats, Paper Gowns: I became inspired by some of the very advice that I was criticizing. After reading hundreds of tips designed to help patients become empowered, I took charge of my own health care. I’d been seeing a doctor for tendinitis… Read More→

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