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Cognitive decline and surgery: the silent struggle doctors don’t talk about

Physician

September 1, 2024

You’d think surgeons would be the first to know when to hang up their scalpel, but alas, they’re as stubborn as a rusted bolt. When should a surgeon put down the knife and stop pretending they’re not going blind? It’s a question of cognitive decline, ego, and knowing when to pass the baton—or in this case, the scalpel.

Unlike our colleagues in internal medicine, surgeons wield sharp objects, making the temporal …

Hope from an older doctor to those patients ready to give up their car keys

Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD

Conditions

September 1, 2024

When you are older, you are considered a threat to other drivers. Reflexes are dampened, muscle responses are sluggish, cataracts obscure vision, and inflexible eye lenses slow focus.

Cars are made to drive fast, and many whippersnappers navigate the streets as if they are at the Indianapolis 500. How many times have you been tailgated and honked at from behind when traveling at the posted speed limit?

And should there be an …

Balancing residency and pregnancy [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 31, 2024

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

In this episode, we sit down with Amaka Nnamani, a pediatrician who shares her powerful story of starting her residency while four months pregnant. Amaka discusses the unique challenges she faced balancing her …

The tragic migraine classification and diagnosis fiasco

Dr. Elliot Shevel

Conditions

August 31, 2024

The first classification of primary headaches was developed in 1962 by the Ad Hoc Committee, a group of neurologists with a special interest in migraine. They correctly classified primary headaches, as per the published data, into:

Vascular headache of the migraine type
Muscle contraction headache
Mixed muscular/vascular headache

The different types of primary headaches were classified according to the anatomical structure from which the pain originates. Therefore, one had to examine …

Pandemic lessons: How better staffing and communication can save health care

Sharon M. Weinstein and Dina Readinger

Policy

August 31, 2024

An excerpt from Healing Healthcare: Evidence-Based Strategies to Mend Our Broken System.

The greatest challenge facing our professional workforce today is creating a healthy work environment in which nurses care for patients. A significant characteristic of a healthy work environment is appropriate staffing. Nurse staffing is a multifaceted issue, and it is extremely difficult to objectively advocate for change. Different members of the health care team have different concepts of …

Health care communication in a post-COVID world: What’s changed and what’s not since the pandemic

Michael J. Grace, JD

Conditions

August 31, 2024

An excerpt from The Mumbo Jumbo Fix: A Survival Guide for Effective Doctor-Patient-Nurse Communication.

If you’re like me, you mark life’s timeline by three milestones—before COVID, during COVID, and after COVID. While most of us no longer wear masks or maintain social distance, the world has undeniably changed in ways that impact health care communication among its three essential participants: doctors, patients, and nurses.

Telemedicine, the …

Redefining physician identity [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 30, 2024

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

In this episode, we explore the urgent need to redefine physician identity in today’s health care landscape. Joined by health care executive Olivia Morris and physician advocate Kim Downey, we delve into the …

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Redefining physician identity [PODCAST]

The hidden pain behind a smile

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

August 30, 2024

(Trigger warning: suicide attempt)

It was dinner time at this hospital’s psychiatric unit. They shuffled into the dining area—slippers, pajamas, disheveled, sad, lonely, depressed … and forgotten.

Head count. All were present except for one: Rita. Faithful Rita. Always at every therapy session, including poetry therapy, art therapy, and bingo night. Always smiling and laughing, cheering up the other patients. Rita was 54 years old and a mother of three. Her husband …

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The hidden pain behind a smile

Why doctors are afraid to take on insurance giants—and how it hurts patients

Steve Cohen, JD

Conditions

August 30, 2024

Half of my family and many of my friends are doctors. I admire them enormously: they are smarter, work harder, and are more compassionate than any group I know. Yet sadly, they are all wimps. Despite non-stop carping about the dangers and cost of health insurers’ prior authorization machinations, not a single one is willing to step up and take on an insurance company.

Of course, I understand why: doctors’ incomes …

Why every physician is a leader

Leon Moores, MD

Physician

August 30, 2024

An excerpt from All Physicians Lead: Redefining Physician Leadership for Better Patient Outcomes.

I Googled the term “physician leadership” and got 183,000,000 hits in 0.45 seconds. There are seemingly endless courses and programs devoted to developing physician leadership, and there’s no shortage of attention to the topic.

Almost uniformly, however, the books and courses approach the topic from a similar angle. Physician leadership is often viewed as something that occurs when …

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Why every physician is a leader

The unspoken emotional toll of trauma surgery: a medical student’s journey

Ariel B. Brown

Conditions

August 30, 2024

It’s one thing to choose a career dedicated to saving lives; it’s another altogether to confront the harsh reality of death. As a third-year medical student, my trauma surgery rotation highlighted that distinction. For all the patients we saved, there were also those who, despite the team’s best efforts, succumbed to their injuries amidst trauma activations. The protocol for a patient’s death in the trauma bay was always followed to …

From refusal to acceptance: a journey of trust in vaccination [PODCAST]

American College of Physicians & The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 29, 2024

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

Join us in this episode as we dive into the powerful story of “Max,” a patient who steadfastly refused all vaccines despite his well-controlled HIV infection. Through persistence, respect, and trust, our guest …

When corporate hospitals cause real harm

Laura Buchman, MBA

Conditions

August 29, 2024

When patients go to the hospital seeking help, they are vulnerable and fully trusting of the modern hospital system to do only what is needed and nothing more. And with good reason—patients are well aware of the incredible sacrifices doctors have made, including the oath to do no harm, and their passion to save lives. What is less known by patients is the fee-for-service model of health care that awaits …

How AI is reshaping the anesthesia workforce

Martin Nowak, MHA & Matthew Sherrer, MD

Tech

August 29, 2024

“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.”
– H. G. Wells, 1945

Many anesthesia professionals will likely recall the rise and fall of the Sedasys platform. Touted as a revolutionary advancement that would one day put anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists “out of work,” the Sedasys computerized propofol-infusion platform predictably generated a fierce response from anesthesia professional societies who deemed it dangerous, off-label, and fraught with medicolegal liability. Sedasys …

The progression of women’s health issues in the workplace from menstruation to menopause

Stephanie Chan and Alopi Patel, MD

Physician

August 29, 2024

It was recently circulated on social media that flamingos are known to lose their bright pink hue in times of adversity, such as when raising their young. This is due to the tremendous energy it takes to nourish their young flaminglets, often at the sake of their own wellbeing. Similarly, women lose their metaphorical bright “pink” during …

A family medicine playbook to earn a million dollars [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 28, 2024

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

Join us on this episode as we talk with Tod Stillson, a family physician and entrepreneur, who has successfully transitioned from traditional employment to becoming a high-earning independent contractor. Tod shares his journey, …

Embracing data-driven solutions to prevent falls

Christine Gall, DrPH

Conditions

August 28, 2024

Released in 2000, the landmark report “To Err is Human” aimed to transform patient safety by highlighting the prevalence of medical errors and their devastating impact. The report underscored various issues, including medication errors, falls, and surgical complications, garnering widespread attention and spurring significant improvements in certain areas of patient safety. As a result of this increased focus, tools like the World Health Organization’s Surgical Safety …

The dark psychology of medical con-men

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Conditions

August 28, 2024

Paolo Macchiarini, MD, is a thoracic surgeon and regenerative medicine researcher who gained international fame for pioneering surgeries that involved implanting synthetic tracheas seeded with the patient’s own stem cells. However, Macchiarini’s career came to a halt when allegations of scientific misconduct, ethical breaches, and fraudulent practices surfaced. Several of his patients experienced severe complications, and some died as a result of his experimental surgeries. Investigations revealed that Macchiarini …

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The dark psychology of medical con-men

Why surgeons are superstitious [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 27, 2024

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

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of rituals and superstitions in surgery with Carmen Fong, a colorectal surgeon. Discover how these seemingly irrational practices impact surgeon performance, confidence, and patient …

Are e-cigarettes harming your reproductive health?

Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD

Conditions

August 27, 2024

In recent years, e-cigarettes have emerged as a popular alternative to traditional cigarettes, often marketed as a safer choice. However, accumulating evidence reveals that e-cigarettes pose significant risks, particularly to reproductive health. This concern is especially urgent given the ongoing decline in fertility rates across the United States, which have reached historic lows in recent years. As a reproductive specialist, I find it crucial to address these risks and emphasize …

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