There’s no place like home when it comes to health care, except for those who fall through the cracks

Conditions
February 9, 2024

Maria (name changed to protect patient privacy) is a brilliant woman with a troubled health history. After a mental health diagnosis cut short her career as a high-level government official, Maria has struggled with diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, depression, and advanced kidney disease, leading to a series of toe amputations and a decade of disability.

She lives alone, about a half-hour from the nearest hospital, where she has been in and out …

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How this country doctor embraced artificial intelligence

Tech
February 9, 2024

I guess you could call me a country doctor. In addition to serving as a chief medical officer and practicing in an office in a small New Jersey town, I co-own an independent family care practice with my wife Kerri in a converted barn situated in the rolling hills and fields of NJ’s “horse country.”

Artificial intelligence may be dominating conversations in Silicon Valley and college campuses, but you might be …

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Empowering Pakistani women: Surviving cancer and challenging traditional norms

Conditions
February 9, 2024

We have a female patient admitted to our oncology ward for a week. I’ve known her for a long time. She works in our hospital’s dental department as a technologist. She is currently 40 years old. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2009. She underwent maximum safe resection; it was oligodendroglioma grade 3. She underwent concurrent chemoradiation followed by chemotherapy and received a few more cycles of adjuvant …

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Prioritizing mental health for doctors and families

Conditions
February 8, 2024

In 2022, the World Health Organization released the World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All, which recognizes the critical importance of mental health to everyone, everywhere – including doctors and their families.

The consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and other major issues such as climate change, global conflict, and economic downturns are continuing to have a big impact on the mental well-being of many parents …

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Do parasites predispose to dangerous behaviors in humans?

Conditions
February 8, 2024

Those of you who have followed the game or series The Last of Us will recognize the name Cordyceps. This is the fungus that causes a global pandemic of zombies to break out and start attacking their fellow humans. The writers, in this case, did a good job by using this infection in their story.

Cordyceps is a genus of over 600 fungal species spread around the world called endoparasitoids, meaning …

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Healing the healers: The quadruple aim approach to wellness

Physician
February 8, 2024

As a year comes to a close and another opens to new possibilities, many find themselves contemplating their successes and opportunities for improvements. The holidays are very busy, and the new year brings hope to slow down and reset. For many health care providers, though, the prospect of slowing down is an unrealistic dream.

For many in health care, the profession is not just a career, but an honorable vocational calling. …

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Haunted by sleep: the chilling reality of hypnagogic hallucinations

Conditions
February 8, 2024

“What did you see?” I asked her, as she sat across from me, wide-eyed and obviously unnerved even thinking back about the episode.

“It was horrible,” she said, “just horrible. I was lying on my back, and I saw it in the doorway, a big, dark, shadowy figure, blocking the door to my bedroom. I tried to scream, and nothing came out. I tried to raise my hands, to shield my …

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Benzodiazepine discontinuation and patient outcomes [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 7, 2024
YouTube video

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Join L. Joseph Parker, a research physician, as we explore a recent comparative effectiveness study that investigates the impact of discontinuing long-term benzodiazepine therapy on patients’ mortality and adverse events, especially when considering their baseline opioid exposure. …

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Is a full-time job preventing you from fulfilling your potential?

Physician
February 7, 2024

A little over a year ago, unforeseen circumstances led me to walk away from the security of a full-time job and all the benefits that came with it such as employer-based health insurance and retirement contributions.

At the time, I had applied for another position without even realizing that I would be leaving my job. The position seemed to be an ideal next step, being a senior leadership position in academic …

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The surprising truth on how to avoid postpartum depression

Conditions
February 7, 2024

The current popular notion is that postpartum depression (PPD) cannot be prevented. Rather, it can only be diagnosed with an Edinburgh test once the patient has PPD. Often PPD is considered to be both surprising and mysterious. In reality, it is neither. PPD is nothing new. We’ve known about it for years. My first experience with postpartum depression goes back to 1976, when I was a third-year medical student.

I listened …

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The hidden dangers of prioritizing patient happiness

Physician
February 7, 2024

The concept of patient-centered care has become pervasive in the health care industry over the last decade. However, as a health care provider, I often wonder if this approach is truly effective in improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. With the continuous emphasis on patient-centered care, I can’t help but question if it is actually a fallacy disguised as a solution.

In the past, patients had a strong relationship with their physicians, …

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Unleash your healing superpower: Sorting emotions in health care

Physician
February 7, 2024

We don’t always choose to tap into the power of our emotions. Our reluctance frequently comes from our background, as the transformation required to channel our feelings is uncomfortable, forcing us to examine our biases and sit with them. Even though we are inherently born with this ability, there is a catch. Like any wild force, our emotions can be unruly and hard to contain, even dictating our actions if …

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A people-first approach to cardiac rehabilitation

Conditions
February 7, 2024

How do you change the paradigm in a rigid system? When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, my team and I didn’t have a choice. We had built our hospital’s in-person cardiac rehabilitation program from the ground up, but this was a moment of reckoning. Our program would need to incorporate virtual care.

Completing cardiac rehabilitation can increase a patient’s life expectancy by up to five years, Read more…

A physician’s path to mental wellness [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 6, 2024
YouTube video

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

Join guests Kim Downey, a physical therapist, and Bryce Bowers, a family physician, as they discuss the challenges and triumphs of the medical profession. Delve into the world of health care, burnout, mental health, and creative outlets …

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Your thoughts about patients are costing you time and energy

Physician
February 6, 2024

Difficult patients.

We’ve all encountered them.

Maybe we are them. (After all, they say doctors make the worst patients, and there’s probably some truth to that.)

But what makes a patient “difficult”?

Is it someone with multiple complex medical issues or a condition you haven’t been able to diagnose or don’t fully understand?

Is it someone with many questions, especially right at the end of their visit?

Is it someone who doesn’t follow your treatment plan …

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Is unity possible in pediatrics?

Physician
February 6, 2024

I have long held the conviction that pediatricians, either in unison or in partnership with hospitals, have the potential to catalyze positive transformation within health care. The vision is clear: pediatricians leading the way, safeguarding health care from detrimental influences and steering it towards a brighter horizon. Yet, despite the rallying cries for innovation—be it through maintaining private practices, embracing direct primary care, or advocating for physician-owned hospitals—there is an …

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The unseen struggles of Native medical students

Education
February 6, 2024

The average medical student spends anywhere from 40 to 80 hours a week studying to become the future of health care, not to mention the hours outside of work that include family, community, jobs, volunteering, research, and day-to-day necessities. The average student goes to class, studies, goes home and studies some more.

However, this is not the reality for many Native medical students. We crave the ability to wake up, go …

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Hope, healing, and challenges in eating disorder recovery [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 5, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Jillian Rigert, an oral medicine specialist and radiation oncology research fellow. In this episode, we delve into the world of eating disorders, drawing from Jillian’s unique perspective as both a patient and a health care professional. …

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Can collaboration build subject matter expertise? We think so.

Physician
February 5, 2024

At my [Resa] first emergency medicine position leading a clinical ultrasound section, I noticed the impact of organizing a monthly educator series. It started out as a fun way to invite friends to visit me in New York City. Win-win: I could amplify their expertise, they met my team who expanded their networks, and my friend could add a line item to their résumé. At the same time, the resident …

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