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I spent years rebelling against my father—until I realized I was exactly like him

Physician

October 18, 2024

I am 31, and my dad turned 54 this year. He had me when he was just 23 years old. I was born in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and he came from a small village in Punjab.

He is a self-made man who struggled all his life to give his children a better future. No one from our village ever went to school. He was the first to get …

Why the future of depression treatment may be magnetic [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 17, 2024

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

We speak with Heather Luing, a psychiatrist specializing in treatment-resistant depression. As depression rates in the U.S. have tripled over the last year, we explore why traditional treatments may not work for everyone …

Medicare for all could work if doctors lead the way

Drew Remignanti, MD, MPH

Policy

October 17, 2024

Although Medicare for all seems to have gotten buried by politicians who label it as “socialistic,” it’s still an important idea that could be feasible if we approached it from a fresh perspective.

As patients, we may reflexively see Medicare for all as a panacea that would effectively remove most of our concerns about how to pay for our health care. But on the other hand, we may not realize the …

Live longer, die shorter: the surprising health secrets to a vital old age

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Conditions

October 17, 2024

An excerpt from 21st Century Schizoid Health Care: Essays and Reflections to Keep You Sane on Your Medical Travels.

Over a decade ago, a landmark ten-year study by the MacArthur Foundation shattered the stereotypes of aging as a process of slow, genetically determined decline. Researchers found that 70 percent of physical aging and about 50 percent of mental aging are determined by lifestyle and the choices we make every day. …

To care or not to care: reflections on treating incarcerated patients

Riya Sood

Education

October 17, 2024

In medical school, we are taught that the well-being of the patient is our highest priority. This principle is central to our training, constantly reinforced through lectures, simulations, and clinical experiences. However, this notion was challenged in an unexpected way when I found myself caring for an incarcerated patient.

The start of the interaction was unsettling. As I approached the patient’s room, I hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. Should I …

Why collaboration is the key to solving health care burnout [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 16, 2024

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

We’re joined by Wael Saasouh, an anesthesiologist; Lisa Scardina, a health care executive; and Kim Downey, a physician advocate and physical therapist, to discuss the urgent need to restore human connections in health …

Hospitals should recognize and address administrative harm

Paul B. Hofmann, DrPH, MPH

Policy

October 16, 2024

“Administrative harm is destroying American medicine” is the title of a provocative article published in the July 13, 2024, issue of KevinMD by Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA. He references business entrepreneur and billionaire Michael B. Kim, who said: “Leadership without ethics is a body without a soul.” As examples of administrative harms, Dr. Lazarus cites “unrealistic staffing models, burdensome regulations, out-of-touch administrators, lack of frank feedback to leaders, and …

Understanding and supporting loved ones with celiac disease: a guide from 2 gastroenterologists

Donna Powell, MD and Renee M. Marchioni Beery, MD

Conditions

October 16, 2024

Living with celiac disease can be a profound challenge, not just for those diagnosed but also for their friends and family. A strict gluten-free lifestyle is essential, and providing thoughtful, informed support can significantly improve the quality of life for someone with celiac disease. September 13 is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day, and as gastroenterologists, we want to share how you can be a source of strength and comfort in …

Why calling nurse practitioners “doctor” undermines the nursing profession [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 15, 2024

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

Join us for an enlightening conversation with Joseph Lanctot, a nurse practitioner, as he explores the significance of professional identity in healthcare. Joseph shares his personal experiences of being mislabelled as a doctor …

How cruelty destroys: the unseen struggles of medical professionals

Anonymous

Physician

October 15, 2024

I am a person—a person with hopes, dreams, fears, and a favorite color. I am just like anyone else, trying to find my place in this world. Yet you only see me as a nuisance. I am always in your way, you say. I am an idiot. My existence is like a personal insult to you—and you never miss a chance to show it.

I was once a bright-eyed child full …

Stop calling me “doctor”: the nurse practitioner’s fight for recognition

Joseph Lanctot, FNP-C

Conditions

October 15, 2024

I introduce myself to the patients as a nurse practitioner (NP), but they still call me a doctor. Even worse, some of the staff refer to me as “doctor.” I imagine they do so out of respect, but no matter how many times I correct them, the erroneous title lives on. The reason I ask not to be called doctor is not because I have not earned my doctorate nor …

A doctor’s pandemic playlist

Ryan McCarthy, MD

Physician

October 15, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic was war, and I served in a foxhole. I survived, in part, by drowning my sorrow in song—music I abused as if it were drugs. I heard “Spaceman” by Nick Jonas today while driving to the hospital, and, at the peak of the chorus, dopamine surged in my brain, making me queasy. My neck hair stood up, and I went clammy. This was not a monstrous rush …

Read more…

A doctor’s pandemic playlist

From patients to clients: the tragic business of mental health care explained [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 14, 2024

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

We sit down with Nicholas Rosenlicht, psychiatrist and author of My Brother’s Keeper: The Untold Stories Behind the Business of Mental Health―and How to Stop the Abandonment of the Mentally Ill. Nicholas unpacks …

Towards a future for semi-autonomous AI-powered primary care providers

Steven Charlap, MD, MBA

Tech

October 14, 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 4.5 billion people do not have access to primary care. In the US alone, the American Medical Association (AMA) claims 83 million Americans do not have access, and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) puts the number even higher at one-third of the US population or over 100 million, including many children (NACHC).

Since losing my brother, a cardiologist, to a misdiagnosis …

The dangerous shift in mental health: Are we clients or patients?

Nicholas Rosenlicht, MD

Physician

October 14, 2024

An excerpt from My Brother’s Keeper: The Untold Stories Behind the Business of Mental Health―and How to Stop the Abandonment of the Mentally Ill.

Throughout history, civilized societies have recognized the vulnerability and suffering of the ill and accordingly granted them special rights and protections, as well as a unique designation: “patient.” This is changing. In the 1990s, when I was involved in negotiating managed care contracts for a community …

The hidden medication putting Parkinson’s patients at risk

Rebecca Miller, PhD

Meds

October 14, 2024

At the doctor’s office, in the ER, in the hospital, how many times are you asked about your drug allergies? A lot! And, as a common practice when in the hospital, you’ll even get a red bracelet or something to indicate such. There are strict rules around allergies; from techs to transport to MDs, hospital staff are well-trained to look for these bracelets and to make sure that you don’t …

How food marketing to kids is harming their health and what we can do [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 13, 2024

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

Join Manuel Arango, the director of Health Policy & Advocacy at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. We dive into the pressing issue of food marketing to children, exploring how these strategies …

Sham peer review (SPR): strategies for saving your career and soul

Tracey O'Connell, MD

Physician

October 13, 2024

For an introduction to SPR, click here. For a history of SPR, click here. To learn how to distinguish real vs. sham peer review, click here.

We don’t hear about SPR as often as it occurs because those who have experienced it have likely signed nondisclosure agreements or self-isolated in shame after …

The overwhelming reality of primary care: Why doctors still persevere

Whitney Rowe, MD

Physician

October 13, 2024

I’m primary care and I see a patient in a 10-minute appointment who tells me she now has a disabled daughter who is 22, had a stroke, and currently cannot cope with all that her disrupted life is demanding of her. I am also expected to fill out that FMLA paperwork for that patient and respond to 20 back-and-forth portal messages on that same patient over the next two days, …

Nurse practitioner hit with $1.4m verdict: the hidden truth behind the lawsuit

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

October 13, 2024

In the August 2023 issue of MD Linx, Stephanie Srakocic writes about a Philadelphia jury that awards a $1.4 million verdict against a nurse practitioner for failing to treat hyperthyroidism. The patient, who is hyperthyroid, is admitted to the hospital for acute abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. The patient subsequently dies. The implication is that the patient is under the care of a nurse practitioner, and there is no …

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