Opioid crisis: The difference between sympathy and empathy

By: Monique Tello, MD, MPH, Contributing editor, Harvard Health Publications I was on call. I looked down at my pager and saw that dreaded message: Patient running out of pain meds needs immediate refill please call.* Ugh. More often than not, the phone call that follows this page is full of excuses, explanations, promises, and demands. This one was no exception: …