An obvious statement that most would agree with. Yet few understand systemic thinking in healthcare, which requires an understanding of the complex patterns of behavior that define interactions in healthcare.

Another day, another miracle drug. Or so it seems. As seemingly every day we hear about new drugs touted as the next miracle, only to be shelved after a few weeks. We explore this trend, and examine the popularity of the drugs used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Our senses are our world. So what we perceive is what we believe. With the perceptions gleaned during a patient encounter determining the healthcare beliefs we hold. We analyze how perceptions form to see how they diverge in healthcare.

History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. And the tendency to seek the familiar out of the new creates a familiarity bias. That when applied to healthcare leaves us flat-footed when addressing new problems, diseases, and trends.

Obesity is a complex medical condition treated through both behavioral changes and medical intervention. But to truly help patients cope with the disease, we have to understand how patients perceive their relationship with food.

The vaccine roll-out has been predictably unpredictable, with chaos now the norm. With all the uncertainty around when many will receive the vaccine, the system has largely come to depend upon people responding honestly about their eligibility.

If perception is reality, then does the perception that the pandemic will improve under Biden create the reality that the pandemic is now under control? We examine what changed with the new administration to determine what is real and what is perception.

COVID-19 has changed much about healthcare. Its greatest change may come in how we structure and interpret healthcare law. We study the history of healthcare law to better understand the future of healthcare laws that balance individual rights with public health.

Living through a pandemic has undoubtedly made us more aware of our health and healthcare policy. But as we struggle to find meaning through it all, we must ask – has the experience made us more intelligent as patients?

Healthcare is a series of decisions, one after another. But most decisions are made reflexively, reiterating familiar patterns of thought. Being mindful of each decision optimizes overall decision-making, knowing when to rely on reflex judgments and when to deliberate further.