As an infectious disease fellow years ago, I was called to the hospital in the middle of the night for a possible case of measles.
I reviewed the clinical basics, as I was not quite sure what to expect, not previously …
Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever
Risk management has been around for centuries. In ancient times, there were oracles and soothsayers. In the 1950s, risk management became a science. Nevertheless, 75 years later, a medical malpractice lawsuit is still a problem. An unknown number of claims are reviewed by lawyers, but 85,000 lawsuits are represented. Of these, 66.6 percent are frivolous.
It stands to reason that many meritorious cases are reviewed but are never represented. There are …
When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
Shane Tenny discusses his article, “Navigating your 457 plan: key steps for physicians changing jobs.” He provides crucial advice for physicians, particularly those with non-governmental 457(b) plans, on how to manage these …
Physician job change: Navigating your 457 plan and avoiding tax traps [PODCAST]
If you have been to the circus and toured the tent where the elephants rest and are fed, you will see that large, two-to-three-ton elephants are tethered to a small wooden stake with a small chain around the ankle of one of their hind legs. This tiny wooden stake driven into the ground could be pulled up in a nanosecond, and the elephant could run away.
But the large …
The hidden chains holding doctors back
A few months after meeting her during rounds at a dialysis center, an elderly woman gripped my hand and quietly asked, “Do you think I’ll make it in time?” Her voice trembled. She had been silent for weeks, worn down by dialysis and overwhelmed by the long transplant process. Her question pierced through the clinical routine. I looked into her eyes, squeezed her hand gently, and said, “We’re going to …
Hope is the lifeline: a deeper look into transplant care
In the race to get into competitive medical residency training, today’s medical students are chasing something that may surprise you: scientific abstracts, posters, workshops, and research papers.
Lots of them. Not necessarily new ideas or meaningful research—just enough to stack their résumés and stand out during the screening of their application for postgraduate residency match. But while scholarship can be a powerful tool in shaping their future, there’s a growing question …
Why medical students are trading empathy for publications
It’s 4:30 in the morning. I can see the small clock across the room. I lie in a hospital bed. The woman who approaches, the nurse, I know a bit. She greets me with, “I need to take your vitals.” I know there is more to her message, but she doesn’t say so yet. The light around my bed is dim.
I’m in a hospital, a large one in a fairly …
From hospital bed to harsh truths: a writer’s unexpected journey
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
Urologist Diana Londoño discusses her article, “From healers to influencers: How fear took over health care advice.” Diana addresses the concerning trend of physicians using fear-inducing tactics on social media, which she …
Reclaiming trust in online health advice [PODCAST]
When graduating residents and fellows begin their careers as attending doctors, there is a wealth of financial advice out there. Grow into your salary slowly. Don’t buy a house right away. Get disability insurance. Plan ahead for the tax bomb that always takes attendings by surprise during that half-trainee/half-attending year.
Today, we won’t discuss any of those. We’ll focus instead on a business lesson that you must unlearn …
The business lesson new doctors must unlearn
You’ve probably had this experience. You ask someone—nicely—to do something that clearly needs to be done. And they don’t. Or they nod, walk away, and nothing changes. You’re not trying to be difficult. You’re just trying to keep the team moving, the patients safe, and the wheels from coming off.
But in medicine, authority doesn’t guarantee compliance. Respect doesn’t guarantee follow-through. And asking once—no matter how reasonable—doesn’t guarantee action.
So the question …
9 proven ways to gain cooperation in health care without commanding
As a U.S.-licensed respiratory therapist and former ENT physician, I have seen firsthand how respiratory illnesses can devastate lives when early intervention is out of reach. From hospital wards in Moscow to respiratory units in Florida, the one constant I’ve observed is that underserved communities—whether due to geography or poverty—suffer the most. Across the United States, millions of patients living with chronic respiratory diseases like COPD and asthma lack consistent …
Closing the gap in respiratory care: How robotics can expand access in underserved communities
The real limitation of clinical AI isn’t the model; it’s the context.
AI can draft notes, flag interactions, and read scans. However, when it comes to understanding the patient in front of you, it’s still a matter of working in the dark.
It doesn’t know the blood pressure you entered three minutes ago.
It can’t find the beta-lactam allergy buried in yesterday’s note.
It misses …
Model context protocol: the standard that brings AI into clinical workflow
Scientists have known about bird flu (H5N1) for decades as a virus that primarily affects birds. Until suddenly, one day, it didn’t. In March 2024, H5N1 showed up somewhere very unexpected—in dairy cows in Texas (and their milk). And then, the virus started jumping to other mammals—goats, domestic cats, and even dolphins—and to humans who interacted with these animals. While there was no evidence …
Bird flu’s deadly return: Are we flying blind into the next pandemic?
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
Pediatrician and certified coach Jessie Mahoney discusses her article, “What if we stopped sacrificing ourselves to practice medicine?” She explores the pervasive culture of martyrdom and self-sacrifice within the medical field that often leads to physician burnout and a deep yearning for …
Breaking the cycle of sacrifice: from medical martyrdom to purposeful healing [PODCAST]
It is standard practice to start opinion pieces with a powerful anecdote that “hooks” the reader and lures them in, winning their attention by appealing to their humanity. However, this highlights the exact issue posed by the recent revocation of immigration rights in the U.S.; we do not know the stories that most need to be told right now. Instead, we have to tell of the patients who did not …
The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care
She whispered when she said “panic attacks.”
Not because she thought I would judge her or fail to understand. But because she was a physician, and in her world, saying the wrong thing to the wrong person could cost her everything.
She found me through a colleague of a colleague. No insurance, no documentation trail, no diagnostic codes, no third-party systems. She paid in cash. She never used her full name.
“If I …
“The medical board doesn’t know I exist. That’s the point.”
Rifaximin, a minimally absorbed antibiotic, has become a cornerstone therapy for several gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) and hepatic encephalopathy. Despite its established use, access to rifaximin varies significantly across global markets, with cost barriers posing challenges in some regions. In contrast, in many Asian countries, the same medication is available at a fraction of the price, raising important questions about pharmaceutical pricing practices and access …
Why does rifaximin cost 95 percent more in the U.S. than in Asia?
Explosive trace detection systems at airport checkpoints are designed to identify minute quantities of explosive materials through techniques such as ion mobility spectrometry. However, their high sensitivity comes at a cost: False-positive alarms can occur when common substances chemically resemble explosive agents. In dermatology, this includes topical medications and moisturizers containing glycerin or nitrates, compounds that are chemically similar to …
When moisturizers trigger airport bomb alarms
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
Physical therapist John Corsino discusses his article, “Lifelong learning: a game-changer in diagnosing dizziness.” He highlights how often the answers to complex cases, like acute dizziness, are present in the exam room but can …
Better dizziness diagnosis through skilled exams [PODCAST]
We’re constantly reminded of the organ shortage and the lives lost while waiting for a kidney. Like fish unaware they swim in water, we’ve accepted the rising tide of kidney failure as natural and inevitable, but it’s not. The most urgent question goes unasked: Why do so many kidneys fail?
Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, with 40 percent of those on the kidney waitlist diabetic. Every day …
Medicaid cuts are quietly fueling the diabetic kidney failure crisis
Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.
