When Routine Care Changes a Life.Ann Fam Med 2026 May 26; 24(3):268-269.AF
Abstract
On a rare day off from my duties as an ophthalmology resident, I wandered into a neighborhood bookstore and was recognized by a woman I had treated for optic neuritis in the emergency department. I didn't remember her, but she remembered everything. In that gap-between my routine and her life-altering night-I heard what the emergency department often muffles: how ordinary work for me can be extraordinary to the person living it. The piece follows our brief conversation to ask a simple question: how can I carry less and notice more, honoring meaning without slowing the work that must go on?
Links
Pub Type(s)
Personal Narrative
Language
eng
PubMed ID
42191369
Citation
Bair, Henry. "When Routine Care Changes a Life." Annals of Family Medicine, vol. 24, no. 3, 2026, pp. 268-269.
Bair H. When Routine Care Changes a Life. Ann Fam Med. 2026;24(3):268-269.
Bair, H. (2026). When Routine Care Changes a Life. Annals of Family Medicine, 24(3), 268-269. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.250689
Bair H. When Routine Care Changes a Life. Ann Fam Med. 2026 05 26;24(3):268-269. PubMed PMID: 42191369.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR
T1 - When Routine Care Changes a Life.
A1 - Bair,Henry,
Y1 - 2026/05/26/
PY - 2025/10/14/received
PY - 2026/01/05/revised
PY - 2026/01/09/accepted
PY - 2026/5/27/medline
PY - 2026/5/27/pubmed
PY - 2026/5/26/entrez
KW - medical humanities
KW - ophthalmology
KW - patient centered care
SP - 268
EP - 269
JF - Annals of family medicine
JO - Ann Fam Med
VL - 24
IS - 3
N2 - On a rare day off from my duties as an ophthalmology resident, I wandered into a neighborhood bookstore and was recognized by a woman I had treated for optic neuritis in the emergency department. I didn't remember her, but she remembered everything. In that gap-between my routine and her life-altering night-I heard what the emergency department often muffles: how ordinary work for me can be extraordinary to the person living it. The piece follows our brief conversation to ask a simple question: how can I carry less and notice more, honoring meaning without slowing the work that must go on?
SN - 1544-1717
UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/prime/citation/42191369/When_Routine_Care_Changes_a_Life.
DB - PRIME
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
