Amazon vs. Apple: Only one will rewrite the rules of health care

Tech
September 25, 2022

Big Tech has had a surprisingly small impact on U.S. health care, so far.

Artificial intelligence, for example, outperforms physicians in many complex tasks (like reading mammograms and analyzing chest X-rays), yet AI remains woefully underused. Meanwhile, many have tried to spur operational efficiency using big-data analytics, but care delivery remains as inconsistent and ineffective as ever. Perhaps the most telling example of Big Tech’s struggles in medicine: 9 in 10 …

Read more…

Amazon vs. Apple: Only one will rewrite the rules of health care

The hidden world of chronic disease

Conditions
September 25, 2022

Sometimes hiding things can work to our advantage: an early pregnancy, a disfiguring scar, public speaking anxiety … Easter eggs! But, more often, they are just temporarily hidden from public view, and, in the grand scheme of things, it can actually be a relief when they are “found.”

Enter the world of chronic disease, and things rapidly become much more complex. Chronic disease can often become manifest without any external visual …

Read more…

The hidden world of chronic disease

My patient with an aortic dissection almost died

Conditions
September 25, 2022

“I just moved here from Portland two weeks ago,” said Ms. Shelly in a weak voice.

When I walked into the room, I immediately noticed her blood pressure was 224/108. The patient was mostly sleeping, but when I started speaking with her, it was apparent to me something was wrong.

“Do you have a history of any heart problems?” I asked Ms. Shelly.

“I had aorta surgery two times…” she murmured before falling …

Read more…

My patient with an aortic dissection almost died

A 15-minute relationship fix [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 24, 2022
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

“Depression involves withdrawal, withdrawal from oneself and others. Feeling safe enough in a relationship to reveal our innermost feelings safely is connective and should be considered a valued part of the anti-depressant lifestyle. Continued relationship satisfaction is …

Read more…

A 15-minute relationship fix [PODCAST]

Literacy and patients’ understanding of health education

Conditions
September 24, 2022

In my first bioethics class, the components of health education (HE) were just being developed, and despite the passage of time, full understanding remains elusive as HE proved far more complex than originally conceived. We learned, simplistically, by present standards, that the provider (MD, DO, PA, NP) only needed to deliver information at a patient’s level of understanding, and the patient would provide a reasoned response. The constant over the …

Read more…

Literacy and patients’ understanding of health education

Who are the neurodiverse people in your life?

Conditions
September 24, 2022

As physicians, we equate terms like “disorder” and “syndrome” with pathology. If a diagnosis is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV, it’s considered a “problem.” In the case of neurodevelopmental diagnoses, I am becoming increasingly aware that this may not be the case. As a neurodiverse individual with many neurodiverse family members and friends, I believe there is nothing “wrong” with our brains. Different …

Read more…

Who are the neurodiverse people in your life?

KevinMD on PermanenteDocs Chat [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 23, 2022
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

In this special episode, KevinMD is on the other side of the microphone as he’s interviewed by Dr. Alex McDonald, originally aired as a PermanenteDocs Chat presented by The Permanente Federation at Kaiser Permanente.

He shares his …

Read more…

KevinMD on PermanenteDocs Chat [PODCAST]

I will not sell my soul to modern medicine: Curing physician moral injury

Physician
September 23, 2022

Something is wrong. You can feel it, but you cannot put your finger on it. You go through the motions daily, but your joy is gone-its soul-sucking. Your patients sense it too. They used to love coming to see you, but now they see the changes. The light has gone out of your eyes. You used to love your job, but now it feels like a burden. This is not …

Read more…

I will not sell my soul to modern medicine: Curing physician moral injury

Health care’s 3 epic childhood obesity failures

Conditions
September 23, 2022

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of spouting the same old worsening childhood obesity statistics, applying the same dilute and sometimes broken strategy, not getting anywhere, judging myself as a doctor, then shifting the blame to my patient and their parents, then feeling powerless and defeated.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

It’s a cycle we’re stuck in, and it’s not serving anyone, especially our patients.

I’m not going to go over the impact …

Read more…

Health care’s 3 epic childhood obesity failures

I’m a doctor who just had his first colonoscopy in my 60s — without anesthesia

Conditions
September 23, 2022

Well, I am that family physician and geriatrician who is now almost 70 years old. And I cannot believe it because, in some ways, I am still like 27 years old!

First of all, I’m very healthy, and I’m lucky that nobody in my family had colon cancer or any cancer. Most of my relatives lived into the late 80s, and my grandmother and my grand grandfather lived to the ripe …

Read more…

I’m a doctor who just had his first colonoscopy in my 60s — without anesthesia

An awkward conversation with a friend might just save someone’s life

Physician
September 22, 2022

There is something special about that childhood friend. It’s a bond that lasts a lifetime, something we can only experience fully in our formative years. My friend was Richard. We were inseparable in school growing up, then roommates in college, growing into manhood together. When it came time for medical school, I went to Dallas, and Richard to Houston, where he would start his career. We drifted apart in those …

Read more…

An awkward conversation with a friend might just save someone’s life

How to change your specialty during residency

Education
September 22, 2022

There are no clear statistics, polls, or studies to know exactly how many physicians each year, or within their working lifetime, switch specialties. But with physician dissatisfaction scores steadily rising, this is becoming a very common sentiment.

First, I want to normalize and encourage everyone to practice self-compassion during this process.

I personally changed specialties early in my career and have numerous colleagues who also changed. We all profess immense happiness in …

Read more…

How to change your specialty during residency

Walk to reduce your loneliness and improve your well-being [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 21, 2022
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

“Just before the pandemic, I walked 96 miles (154.5 km) in seven days on the West Highland Way in Scotland, though I was hardly alone in this endeavor. About 250 people start the walk each day, including …

Read more…

Walk to reduce your loneliness and improve your well-being [PODCAST]

Shame not on us: Diagnoses and treatments need to be transparent

Conditions
September 21, 2022

In Australia recently, a woman successfully sued a hospital for $2.4 million for a series of misdiagnoses that left her quadriplegic. A London woman was recently misdiagnosed four times before doctors discovered she had cervical cancer.

A Canadian woman recently filed a $3.5 million lawsuit claiming she was misdiagnosed and ignored when relaying her symptoms to doctors; she could have died. A 26-year-old woman nearly died after a …

Read more…

Shame not on us: Diagnoses and treatments need to be transparent

Making death conversations fun!

Conditions
September 21, 2022

“Arriving at an acceptance of one’s mortality is a process, not an epiphany.”
– Atul Gawande

Imagine a group of old (mature) friends gathered for a “girls” weekend in balmy Florida. The friendships started in grammar school and have continued for the better part of 50 years. These women have met at least once a year for more than 25 years and shared life’s ups and downs. On this trip, one of …

Read more…

Making death conversations fun!

The nicest patient I’ve ever met

Physician
September 21, 2022

The nicest patient I’ve ever met was Mr. Harris.

I first met him in the ED with his son and daughter by his side, noticing a foley bag filled with bright red blood.

He was an elderly gentleman with ALS and was brought by his children for hematuria and blood clots overnight. Never happened before, and we were all unsure of the cause. Urinalysis soon showed likely UTI, so we started antibiotics. …

Read more…

The nicest patient I’ve ever met

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 20, 2022
YouTube video

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!

“ME/CFS is a complex multi-system illness that destroys lives (essentially killing the person yet leaving them alive).  It leaves patients with unimaginable fatigue, post-exertional malaise (meaning that minor exertion makes them feel worse), cognitive deficits, cardiovascular dysfunction, …

Read more…

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID [PODCAST]

Is your smartwatch smart about your health?

Tech
September 20, 2022

Your smartwatch talks a lot but may not say as much as you believe with regard to health. Constant data collection from wearables claims to improve medicine at large. Is the “quantified self” the next evolution or a gimmick for patients?

Imagine your sleep and heart data beamed straight to your medical record. Your care team might notice a red flag and schedule a virtual appointment immediately. Health care wearables, meaning …

Read more…

Is your smartwatch smart about your health?

596
pages