The superhero spectrum in health care

Physician
January 26, 2024

Strategic thinking: The Doctor Strange of health care. Health care professionals, much like Doctor Strange, often engage in complex decision-making, foreseeing multiple outcomes to choose the best path for patient care. Your ability to strategize and anticipate is crucial in saving lives and ensuring quality care.

Innovation: Channeling Iron Man. Innovation is key in health care. Just as Iron Man tinkers and invents, you too innovate daily – whether through cutting-edge surgical techniques, …

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Should you fire back after a stealth firing?

Physician
January 26, 2024

Stealth firing is a term used to describe the cold, unexpected firing of employees by their managers and/or individuals from human resources (HR) departments – sometimes without the manager’s awareness and even after years of loyalty for some. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cannot adequately track this statistic because its definition lacks precision, but it is not uncommon in certain practice areas, such as law, tech, and financial firms. The …

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Tragic turn in the OR: A rookie doctor’s race against time

Physician
January 26, 2024

An excerpt from A Surgeon’s Knot.

The phone jarred Jackson Cooper, MD’s weary, anxious brain into consciousness from the edge of sleep. He jumped up, dropping the receiver on the cold floor of the call room. “Hello,” he said, tension entering the new intern’s mind.

“Dr. Cooper,” the nurse’s voice said nervously. She almost stuttered as she spoke. “It . . . it’s . . . Mr. Simpson, he’s bleeding. I …

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How one family’s hero ended a pandemic [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 25, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Shan Liu, an emergency physician and co-author of Masked Hero: How Wu-Lien Teh Invented the Mask and Ended an Epidemic. Discover the journey of Wu Lien-teh, Shan’s great-grandfather, who played a pivotal role in ending a …

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Pandemic aftermath: Navigating a new normal in health, education, and social dynamics

Policy
January 25, 2024

Psychological distress. In 2021, 40% of high school students felt sad and hopeless, 20% seriously considered suicide, and 10% attempted it, with suicides among young people hitting their highest rates ever, though they fell in 2022. Since the greatest increase was before 2017, we can’t really blame the pandemic. And some “innovative” approaches for combatting …

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Euphoria-free pain relief: A gabapentin alternative you’ve been waiting for?

Meds
January 25, 2024

A groundbreaking discovery in pain management could revolutionize how we treat chronic pain. In a report from a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at New York University, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh, have announced the discovery of a novel medication that could treat centralized pain that targets Cav2.2 calcium channels (also called N-type calcium channels).

First, what is centralized …

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Uncovering the real story behind opioid prescriptions and deaths

Conditions
January 25, 2024

As a non-clinician patient advocate and health care writer, I am frequently reminded of a quotation attributed to Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain): “Figures don’t lie. But liars figure.” I am also aware of a second quotation from economist Ronald H Coase: “If you torture the data for long enough, it will confess to anything.”

I find that both quotations apply directly to the U.S. Centers for …

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Resilience beyond self-care [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 24, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Beth Boynton, a nurse consultant, as we delve into the pressing issue of health care worker resilience. Discover the importance of empowering health care professionals, developing essential interpersonal skills, and the role of emotional intelligence in …

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Unlocking the mystery of the “wanting mind”: Transform your yearnings into fulfillment

Conditions
January 24, 2024

I remember Christmas Eve as a child. I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to be awake every second until the morning came. I didn’t want to miss anything! But inevitably, I’d arrive at the Christmas tree the next morning, bleary-eyed and still feeling like I’d missed something important. My wanting mind had taken over and robbed me of being fully awake when it counted. And every …

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Enhancing your digital footprint: a must for health care professionals

Tech
January 24, 2024

In the ever-evolving health care landscape, where technological advancements and digital presence are increasingly intertwined, health care professionals, including doctors and nurses, must understand the importance of a robust digital footprint. This isn’t just about staying relevant; it’s about showcasing your expertise, connecting with peers and potential employers, and embracing technological innovations like AI in health care.

Your digital footprint encompasses everything you …

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Assessing hospital involvement in pediatric primary care

Physician
January 24, 2024

Children’s hospitals are acclaimed for their outstanding care, and they would be my absolute choice for my child’s hospital needs. Nevertheless, there is a pressing concern that the underlying philosophy of these institutions is shifting, with financial pressures incentivizing competition rather than cooperation in the field of pediatrics. If hospitals were to dominate primary care, it could potentially exacerbate the departure from a value-driven approach, which is crucial for advancing …

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Just culture and medical errors [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 23, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Scott Ellner, a general surgeon. We delve into a compelling story from a decade ago, where a medical error had profound consequences for both a patient and the surgeon involved. Discover the emotional toll on health …

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The journey to internal balance and self-fulfillment

Conditions
January 23, 2024

An excerpt from The Fix Your Depression Handbook.

Most of us strive to be happy loving people. Our tendency to look outside ourselves to find acceptance, safety, love, and completion can misdirect our energies, and have us searching for the pathway to meaning in our lives in places where it cannot exist. It is so important to understand that we were born with everything we need to be happy and …

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Practice permanently closed: How to avoid this costly mistake

Tech
January 23, 2024

Imagine a patient searches online for you only to discover your online business listing says your practice is permanently closed.

This recently happened to a well-respected, mid-career surgical oncologist with a loyal patient base. Opting for a new role, he joined a hospital an hour from his previous workplace. Unfortunately, his former employer managed his online business listing, marked his practice permanently closed, and offered no forwarding contact information. This made …

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New year, new resolutions: an orthopedic surgeon’s path to balancing career and family in 2024

Physician
January 23, 2024

A recent discussion with a partner led us to list our academic goals for 2024.

It’s a process many of us go through each year. What did we accomplish throughout the year? Could we have done better? Is there more to do? How could we improve? What’s on tap for the upcoming year?

It’s an annual ritual, I know.

We reviewed his overall plan and went through how he could accomplish his professional …

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Unlocking better care: the power of caring for your doctor [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 22, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Dawn Sears, a gastroenterologist, and Kim Downey, a physical therapist. We delve into the insights that reveal how taking care of your doctor can ultimately lead to better care for you. They share perspectives on improving …

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From Bollywood dreams to bipolar reality: a doctor’s journey

Conditions
January 22, 2024

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
– Maya Angelou

Since my teenage years, I have been watching Bollywood movies of all sorts. Maybe people from the subcontinent like them because no one can relate to these movies other than them.

My favorite hero was Sushant Singh Rajput. I liked him for his personality, his sweet smile, and the genuine look he had in his eyes. When he …

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Redefining medical caution: How recent studies challenge benzodiazepine prescription norms

Meds
January 22, 2024

I want to draw your attention to two fairly recent studies. One of these is the BIND study. I love it when studies use easy-to-remember acronyms because it really helps to keep them straight. The BIND study found that “Many prolonged symptoms subsequent to benzodiazepine use and discontinuation … have been shown in a large survey of benzodiazepine users. Benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND) has been proposed as a term …

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Breaking the silence: medical gaslighting exposed [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 21, 2024
YouTube video

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We sit down with Tracey O’Connell, a radiologist and physician coach, to explore the pervasive issue of medical gaslighting within the health care industry. Tracey shares her own experiences and insights, shedding light on how this phenomenon …

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When medicine meets law: Mastering malpractice suits with scientific methods

Physician
January 21, 2024

When you are sued for medical malpractice, your malpractice carrier establishes your duties to it, and your lawyer establishes your duties to him or her. Let me be clear – when you are sued for medical malpractice, you have no greater duty than to yourself. A duty is a commitment or an expectation on you to perform properly in accordance with certain circumstances. A duty may arise from a system …

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