KevinMD.com

January 4, 2012Jan 4, 201230

In 1994 I was thrilled to become certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. I had worked very hard. I studied and read, I practiced oral board scenarios and even took an oral board preparatory course. It was, I believed, the pinnacle of my medical education. Indeed, if you counted the ACT, the MCAT, the three part board exams along the way and the in-service exams, it was my …

Physician voices

I wish my patients could see what I see

Stewart Segal, MD

January 3, 2012Jan 3, 20129

I wish my patients could see what I see. I see through a lens sharpened over 30 years of experience. I see the present and often the future. Yes, I’m a fortune teller! Many times, the picture of the future…

It’s my job to predict the future and then try to change it. A friend once told me that he believed life was a movie playing on …

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I wish my patients could see what I see

Patient voices

How patients can avoid medical errors

Howard Luks, MD

January 3, 2012Jan 3, 20128

Most of you are quite familiar with the rather astounding facts regarding medical errors. There are many reasons why medical errors occur in healthcare. There are errors in omission, there are errors because of poor communication, there is the ever present risk of human error and perhaps the ever increasing stress on physicians to see more and more patients in less and less time. …

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How patients can avoid medical errors

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Physician voices

Should healthcare providers hug their patients?

Dominic A. Carone, PhD

January 3, 2012Jan 3, 201221

Imagine this scenario. You are a male health care provider and you complete an evaluation of a woman close to your age. You establish good rapport as you always do, she laughs at some of the same jokes you make with all patients, and she expresses delight that you are listening to her problems (unlike those other providers she says she has seen), feels you are helping her, and is …

Physician voices

Advice for doctors who want to change careers

Franz Wiesbauer, MD

January 2, 2012Jan 2, 20124

An interview by MedCrunch with Ashley Wendel, MA, CMC, PDC, a Physician Executive Coach and Healthcare Organization Consultant dedicated to helping physicians create meaningful and sustainable change that positively impacts their professional lives. MC: Thank you so much Ashley for…

An interview by MedCrunch with Ashley Wendel, MA, CMC, PDC, a Physician Executive Coach and Healthcare Organization Consultant dedicated to helping physicians create meaningful and sustainable change that positively impacts their professional lives.

MC: Thank you so much Ashley for your time!

Ashley: Thank you, I’m really happy to share anything I can.

MC: You are a physician coach, what are the most common problems you encounter in your practice?

Ashley: Well, for many …

Conditions and diseases

The phenomenon of concussions in professional sport

Brian Goldman, MD

January 2, 2012Jan 2, 20129

Recently, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that all star defensive stalwart Chris Pronger has been shut down for the rest of the NHL season with what the team has described as "post-concussive syndrome". Pronger joins Pittsburgh Penguin superstar Sidney Crosby, teammate…

Recently, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that all star defensive stalwart Chris Pronger has been shut down for the rest of the NHL season with what the team has described as “post-concussive syndrome”. Pronger joins Pittsburgh Penguin superstar Sidney Crosby, teammate and NHL leading scorer Claude Giroux, and Ottawa Senator forward and NHL second leading scorer Milan Michalek out of action due to concussion. To list every star player currently on the …

Conditions and diseases

Chronic kidney disease from a patient perspective

Gail Rae

January 1, 2012Jan 1, 2012

An excerpt from What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease. The symptoms of kidney disease don’t show up until you’ve lost most of your kidney function. That’s when you’ll experience the fatigue that’s…

An excerpt from What Is It and How Did I Get It? Early Stage Chronic Kidney Disease.

The symptoms of kidney disease don’t show up until you’ve lost most of your kidney function. That’s when you’ll experience the fatigue that’s not always a result of anemia, the muscle cramps that usually – but not always – present themselves in your calves, nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, easy bruising, itching and the shortness …

Physician voices

What kind of shoes should you wear in the hospital?

Mary L. Brandt, MD

January 1, 2012Jan 1, 20123

I got home recently after a 14 hour day in the operating room with (predictably) a pair of really tired feet, which lead me to think about shoes, foot rubs, and the fact that no one ever talked to me…

What kind of shoes should you wear in the hospital?

There’s a lot of walking in the hospital, but there’s even more standing. Running shoes don’t provide …

Patient voices

Overcoming tragedy requires a team

Stephanie Lyn Lewis

January 1, 2012Jan 1, 2012

When tragedy strikes, one looks for comfort in many places. When traditional resources--relatives, physicians, clergy members--do not completely satisfy, one may reach out for comfort from unexpected places. Increasingly, people turn to online health and wellness support communities. My family’s…

When tragedy strikes, one looks for comfort in many places. When traditional resources–relatives, physicians, clergy members–do not completely satisfy, one may reach out for comfort from unexpected places. Increasingly, people turn to online health and wellness support communities.

My family’s tragedy occurred when my father suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest, or SCA, in 2010. As I watched him lay lifelessly on life-support in that hospital bed, the man who was undoubtedly …

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Overcoming tragedy requires a team

Conditions and diseases

Understanding the process of cancer metastasis

Richard Just, MD

January 1, 2012Jan 1, 20124

Throughout my career in oncology, I thought I was communicating difficult concepts to patients and families relatively well. Recently, my wife and I visited our daughter in Salt Lake City over Thanksgiving. Catherine is an extremely accomplished blogger and video broadcaster. So when she commented on my blogs, I paid attention. Her (constructive) criticism was my use of some medical terminology which she didn’t understand. More surprising to me was …

Physician voices

Being a good doctor is more than writing prescriptions

Jay Parkinson, MD

December 31, 2011Dec 31, 201113

As doctors, we have pills to treat infections and high cholesterol. We have scalpels to replace hips and open clogged arteries. But beyond pills and scalpels, what tools do we have? Walking out of the doctor’s office without a prescription is a rare occurrence these days. And the famous surgeon tagline has always been “a chance to cut is a chance to cure.” We see people when they’re sick and …

Conditions and diseases

MKSAP: 67-year-old man with confusion, agitation, and malignant hypertension

mksap

December 31, 2011Dec 31, 2011

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 67-year-old man is evaluated in the emergency department for confusion and agitation secondary to malignant hypertension. Initial blood pressure is 230/130 mm Hg,…

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 67-year-old man is evaluated in the emergency department for confusion and agitation secondary to malignant hypertension. Initial blood pressure is 230/130 mm Hg, and funduscopic examination reveals papilledema.

He is admitted to the intensive care unit, and therapy with nitroprusside by continuous infusion is begun; the …

Physician voices

The positive effects of palliative care on quality of life

Kohar Jones, MD

December 30, 2011Dec 30, 20116

“I’ve been a fighter all my life,” said my new patient, a middle aged man with thinning hair, a worried wife, and a dismal prognosis. He had worked all his life as a plumber with no health insurance. When he…

I was meeting him for the first time in the community health center where I work as a family physician, tending …

Physician voices

Balancing precaution and the apparent risk in medicine

Maurice Bernstein, MD

December 30, 2011Dec 30, 2011

One will find many examples of precaution and their corresponding examples of risk in how medical care is provided by physicians and accepted by patients. In fact, not only do these two elements correspond but at times the price, itself,…

Risk is everywhere in medical practice. Risk is present when a patient is selecting a physician. The risk is becoming the patient of a doctor whose …

2011 KevinMD posts of the year

Admin

December 29, 2011Dec 29, 2011

This year, nearly 4 million of you visited KevinMD.com. Thank you. I'm humbled that so many of you find the time during the day to visit the site and participate in the discussion that often ensues. As our health care…

This year, nearly 4 million of you visited KevinMD.com.

Thank you.

I’m humbled that so many of you find the time during the day to visit the site and participate in the discussion that often ensues.

As our health care world dramatically changes around us, it’s important that medical professionals have a say in the process. KevinMD.com provides an influential platform for your voice, and I will continue to do my best to …

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2011 KevinMD posts of the year

Physician voices

Simulation is a disruptive and transformational technology in medicine

Stephen C. Schimpff, MD

December 29, 2011Dec 29, 2011

Incredible innovative and entrepreneurial skills have led to many new techniques and technologies in medicine. Some are both disruptive of the old way of doing things. Others are transformational. Over the next few weeks I will review some of those that I believe are among the most disruptive and transformational. Medical simulation is such an advance. It is dramatically transforming the way medicine, especially medical procedures, are taught and it …

Conditions and diseases

Human papillomavirus and the risk of oropharyngeal cancer

Dr. Frederick

December 29, 2011Dec 29, 20113

Cancers of the tongue and throat, all categorized as oropharyngeal cancers, are appearing at an epidemic rate. The old paradigm is that such cancers most often occur in older men who drink and smoke. But this is no longer true.…

Cancers of the tongue and throat, all categorized as oropharyngeal cancers, are appearing at an epidemic rate.

The old paradigm is that such cancers most often occur in older men who drink and smoke. But this is no longer true. Now the most common cause of cancer of the tonsil and tongue is human papillomavirus (HPV). That’s right, the sexually transmitted disease. And it is occurring in ever younger people …

Health technology

Solving information overload in the EHR

Neil Mehta, MD

December 28, 2011Dec 28, 201110

I have been using electronic health records now for over 10 years. Like most physicians who have used EHRs, I would not ever go back to a paper-based medical record. Having said that, it is important to recognize some of…

I have been using electronic health records now for over 10 years. Like most physicians who have used EHRs, I would not ever go back to a paper-based medical record.

Having said that, it is important to recognize some of the potential problems created by some EHR products. One potential pitfall of some EHRs is the number of steps it takes to find information that is in the system. Yes, it …

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Solving information overload in the EHR

Health technology

Why your EHR note may not be accurate

Ron Sterling

December 28, 2011Dec 28, 201112

With paper exam notes, the doctor and staff record information and the note reflects what they recorded. Unfortunately, EHR based notes may not be as direct. Many EHR systems store the information that you enter in one way, and offer…

With paper exam notes, the doctor and staff record information and the note reflects what they recorded. Unfortunately, EHR based notes may not be as direct.

Many EHR systems store the information that you enter in one way, and offer a variety of presentation and reporting options. The ability of the EHR to offer multiple presentation options is a powerful tool. For example,

You may generate an exam note, referral form, and a …

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Why your EHR note may not be accurate

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