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Why we shouldn’t trust sleep-deprived doctors: a wake-up call

Arlene Rivera

Conditions

June 10, 2024

I wouldn’t trust my Uber driver to drive me after they’ve been awake for over 24 hours. Why would I trust my doctor?

Since starting medical school and hearing about the dreadful 24-hour shifts, I’ve constantly wondered why they are standard of practice, let alone legally allowed. Why would a hospital want the liability of a sleep-deprived doctor?

I first saw the effects of a 24-hour shift during my general surgery rotation. …

Allyship in action: Supporting your LGBTQ+ patients

Uchenna Umeh, MD

Physician

June 10, 2024

“Mom, when I walk in the room, all they see is a deviant Black man.”

Those were the words my transgender daughter said to me after a recent visit with her primary care physician. She felt like everyone was judging her, and the doctor acted like she had a contagious disease. He was also preoccupied with her name choice and whether she would be getting a “sex change” surgery, and he …

Using technology to diagnose sepsis [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 9, 2024

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Join Robert Scoggins, a physician executive, as we discuss the challenges of diagnosing and treating sepsis in the emergency department compared to other emergent conditions like stroke and heart attack. We’ll discuss the …

Unveiling the unseen: the hidden costs of health care-associated infections

Trini Mathew, MD, MPH

Conditions

June 9, 2024

Many aspects of health care-associated infections are unseen. The bacteria that cause infections like C. difficile or catheter-associated urinary tract infections are invisible to the naked eye. Beyond the financial burdens of additional treatment and longer hospital stays, less obvious costs often fall below the radar in the form of suffering, distress, and shattered trust in the health care system when patients fall victim to preventable infections.

And, often low profile …

Medical school admissions: an issue of socioeconomic diversity

Ravinder S. Chale

Education

June 9, 2024

For thousands of individuals every year, receiving an acceptance letter from a U.S. medical school is a monumental occasion. The culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice. It is an acknowledgment of academic prowess and ability. This is an indication that years of hard work and dedication have paid off and that, since being selected, an individual possesses unique talents and abilities, allowing them to enter an esoteric realm …

How medical malpractice lawsuits are silencing good doctors

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

June 9, 2024

In Gerald Green’s The Last Angry Man, Dr. Samuel Abelman is a general practitioner in the twilight of a career that spans fifty years of commitment to patients.

The time is the 1950s, and the place is Brooklyn, NY. The problem is the proliferation of medical specialties.

Although most of his colleagues regard specialization as a greater good because it promises better-trained physicians, Dr. Abelman sees specialization as antithetical to his …

Korean resident doctors mass resignation: a cry for change [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 8, 2024

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Join us for a discussion on the recent wave of resident physician resignations in South Korea and the underlying issues within the country’s health care system. Our guest, Joo-Young Lee, a child and …

The cost of ineffective technology: Why your practice’s tech stack may be contributing to employee burnout and high turnover rates

Sherilyn Giauque

Tech

June 8, 2024

A recent survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) revealed that 75 percent of medical group owners report that work-related stress levels have increased this year. A previous MGMA poll found that nearly 30 percent of medical groups had a physician leave the practice or retire early because of burnout.

When asked what factors were contributing to burnout in a Harris Poll online survey conducted by HealthDay, 58 percent of …

5 lessons for a better life: observations from a front row seat for the highs and lows

Jillian Bybee, MD

Physician

June 8, 2024

Recently, I had the privilege of being shadowed by a medical student who is interested in becoming a pediatric critical care medicine physician like I am. On the day she came to observe me, we were navigating a busy and heartbreaking time in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). I was curious how the experience would affect her and her decision, but I figured it was as good of a …

The adverse labor and delivery experiences faced by Black women

Sophia Alexander, Deepjot Singh, MD, and Jessica L. Jones, MD, MSPH

Conditions

June 8, 2024

Women of color, particularly Black women, encounter distinct challenges during pregnancy and childbirth. This results in disproportionately adverse outcomes such as invasive treatments, infant mortality, severe complications, and even death experienced by these women. The role of racism and discrimination are highlighted even when controlling for certain underlying social and economic factors. For example, education and income are not protective of poor outcomes, and inequity in health care persists …

How compassion can fix the health care system [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 7, 2024

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Join Drew Remignanti, an emergency physician, as we delve into the intersection of compassion, health care, and spirituality. Explore the vital role of compassion in medical care, the challenges of balancing health care …

Why doctors rely on nurses more than you think

Dr. Damane Zehra

Physician

June 7, 2024

I think we spend more working hours with nurses than with any other colleagues. They not only solve the problems of the patients, but most of the time, they even know more than doctors about the progress of every patient. I really rely on their assessment, and sometimes we make better decisions with a little discussion about the situation with each other. We have the same problems, we hate the …

Black maternal mortality crisis: Preventable deaths demand action

Desrae Yvette Woods

Conditions

June 7, 2024

The racial and ethnic divide within health care remains largely unaddressed. One aspect I wish to highlight is the impact of mortality rates after childbirth, particularly among African American women. They face the highest mortality rates postpartum, presenting a concerning health disparity that verges on a public health crisis. According to the CDC, black women are two to three times more likely to succumb to pregnancy-related complications compared to other …

Physician burnout: We’re partly to blame, here’s how to fix it

Mick Connors, MD

Physician

June 7, 2024

From the heart of one doctor to another, let’s address the evil spirit haunting our halls: burnout. It has become the unwelcome companion of many physicians, including myself, who frequently lament our moral injuries and the mistreatment that seems to shadow us. We seek refuge as wellness coaches or in the serene embrace of time away, hoping for respite. We call for laws and policies to protect us from the …

The demise of doctor-owned medicine?

Sid Schwab, MD

Physician

June 6, 2024

When I joined The Everett Clinic forty-two years ago, we were thirty-some physicians. The main campus consisted of what’s now called the Founders’ Building and a couple of parking lots. The building was industrial and off-putting, guiding patients to various locations by way of colored stripes on the floor. TEC had just opened its first satellite office in Marysville and had negotiated an exclusive contract with a now-defunct health insurance …

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The demise of doctor-owned medicine?

Health care administrators: a call for equal transparency and accountability

David M. Mitchell, MD, PhD

Physician

June 6, 2024

While physicians are constantly being asked to prove their value with a growing constellation of metrics, health care administrators seem to have escaped a similarly high degree of transparency and accountability about the value of their specific roles. What I mean is that physicians are certainly not equally informed by objective measures of the performance of their administrators. Given the remarkable growth in the health care administrator to physician ratio …

The many losses of a long psychiatry career

Courtney Markham-Abedi, MD

Conditions

June 6, 2024

At the beginning of a career – sometimes when viewed through rose-colored glasses not yet spoiled by reality – you hope to be able to lose loss to stay away. Somehow you feel like if you just try hard enough – practice psychiatry in the best way possible you can somehow prevent death by suicide. This is obviously magical thinking, and you begin to realize that there will be a …

How to manage employee turnover in your practice [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 5, 2024

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

Join Amy Vertrees, a general surgeon, as she shares her journey navigating workplace dynamics in the medical field. From identifying early signs of toxicity to fostering open communication and embracing change, Amy provides …

Sunoh.ai: Reducing physician burnout with significant time savings

Sunoh.ai

Understanding autoimmune flares: triggers, symptoms, and treatment options

Nancie Wiseman Attwater

Conditions

June 5, 2024

Just when you think your autoimmune disease(s) are calming down and you feel better, a dramatic worsening of disease signs and symptoms can happen without warning. They are unpredictable and disruptive, and can cause a disturbing influence in your every attempt to feel well.

Taking medications, following a healthy diet and exercise program, and getting enough sleep don’t seem to stop “flares.” These are the markers of autoimmune disease activity, meaning …

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