In this installment of Under Your Skin, host Nicholas Brownstone, MD, chats with Andrea Murina, MD, to get tips on time management and dealing with demanding patients. Dr Murina also shares her thoughts on what condition dermatology still needs better treatments for. 

What’s your favorite time management technique in clinic? 

Dr. Murina finds that getting an early start to her day helps her to best manage her time. She also provides some tips on writing notes. She shares her technique of setting aside a block of time to work on them; if she doesn’t finish her notes within that block, she moves the remainder of that task to the next day. She finds that unfinished work makes her more focused the next day and helps increase her efficiency. 

How do you deal with demanding patients? 

Dr. Murina values challenging patients because they teach valuable lessons. One such lesson she has learned from her demanding patients is the importance of listening. She finds that taking the time to sit down and actively listen is the best way to bring down the intensity of a demanding patient. 

What condition in dermatology do we still need better treatments for? 

Dr. Murina feels the biggest gap in dermatology currently is treatment for hidradenitis suppurativa. There is currently only one FDA-approved biologic for this condition, and all other treatments for it are off label. She emphasizes that dermatology needs more FDA-approved medications in this area.