July/August 2009 (Turning Ten:  The Top 10 “Most Read” Narrative Matters Essays)

Turning Ten:  The Top 10 “Most Read” Narrative Matters Essays

• As Narrative Matters celebrates its 10th anniversary, we thought you’d like to know which Narrative Matters essays had the highest Web readership between 2002 and 2009.  Here’s the list (with No. 1 being with the most-read essay):

1.”What Are We Going To Do With Dad?” (A geriatrician stands by during his father’s downward spiral into old age, disability, and dementia) by Jerald Winakur (July/August 2005)

2. “Full Code” (A young physician is confounded by—then learns from—a dying patient’s decisions) by Boris Veysman (September/October 2005)

3. “So Tired of Life” (An elderly patient asks a doctor for help he cannot provide) by Neil S. Calman (May/June 2004)

4. “No Como Nada” (A Mexican American pediatrician calls for nationwide backup in fighting childhood obesity among his patients) by Richard S. Garcia (March/April 2004)

5. “HIPAA, TB, And Me” (After a mom goes head-to-head with a college health center that is intimidated by HIPAA, she researches the law and suggests what could make it more effective) by Irene M. Wielawski (July/August 2006)

6. “Blind Faith And Choice” (A blind British health economist and her guide dog meet the realities of choice in the United States) by Rhiannon Tudor Edwards  ((November/December 2005)

7. “Do NOT Resuscitate” (A well-orchestrated plan for death ends on a brutal note) by David Muller (September/October 2005)

8. “Doctoring Across The Language Divide” (Trained medical interpreters can be the key to communication between physicians and patients) by Alice Chen (May/June 2006)

9. “On Being A 'Difficult' Patient” (Difficult?  I’ll tell you what’s difficult) by Michelle L. Mayer (September/October 2008)

10. “Tea, Biscuits, And Health Care Prioritizing” (An American visiting England observes initiatives to elicit public input on thorny health care allocation decisions) by Marthe R. Gold (January/February 2005)