Habit

Almost everyone follows his or her own routine meticulously, so there's a good chance that you do too. And why not? Admit it. We have our own rituals of daydreaming, doing grocery, writing blogs, and even visiting the john.

Trust me, I am no expert on following the routine doggedly. But I've been keeping a habit weekly; I read the New England Journal of Medicine every Thursday for years. In particular, I never miss the case records of Massachusetts General Hospital or Clinical Problem-Solving feature published in the Journal. This weekly clinicopathological exercise is a mind boggling game climaxed by thorough discussion from renowned clinicians, showing us how doctors sleuth for the footprints to a mysterious diagnosis.

Which brings me to a tongue-in-cheek comment by a discussant in the recent case record, "As rheumatologists, we become comfortable with our inability to render precise diagnoses in all patients." This opens my eyes to the truth that we should frankly admit our ignorance. If you take a deep breath and a step back, I think you'll agree with me that, in a way, this sentence should be remembered by every doctor.