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Fighting burnout with deeper human connections

Physician

September 8, 2024

Kim Downey:

Fostering meaningful connections and building a supportive community has become my mission as I work to stand up for and alongside doctors. I recently connected Dr. Wael Saasouh with Lisa Scardina. During our thought-provoking conversation, Wael said, from his perspective of wearing many hats in business, leadership, clinical, and research, “Once we can collaborate on multiple levels, a solution becomes a lot more attainable!” Lisa and I wholeheartedly agreed. …

Mastering health literacy: the key to taking control of your well-being

Reyhan Haider and Fred Garner, MD

Physician

September 8, 2024

In an increasingly complex world, where technology, science, and medicine are rapidly evolving, health care literacy is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The ability to understand and use health information effectively can mean the difference between life and death. However, it is important to distinguish between being health literate and health care literate. While both are critical, they serve different purposes in ensuring successful health outcomes.

Health literacy refers …

Empathy at the bedside: a gaping injury in our training

Dr. Razan Baabdullah

Physician

September 8, 2024

“Please grab a chair and sit,” I told my resident, who was preparing to discuss a procedure with a patient. She smiled. Her confusion was evident in the gentle lift of her upper lip, showing just the tip of her incisors. A touch of surprise was also flitting across her forehead and eyebrows. As surgeons, we are conditioned to be efficient and laser-focused bullet-point communicators with patients and other medical …

How emotional and spiritual connections deepen relationships [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 7, 2024

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

Join us in this episode with Diana Londoño, a urologist, for a thought-provoking discussion on the true essence of intimacy. Together, we challenge the common belief that intimacy is confined to the bedroom, …

Doctors under fire: Is the DEA turning them into drug dealers?

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Meds

September 7, 2024

In the state of New York (you already know it’s going to be bad), a doctor and a pharmacist were arrested in a sting operation conducted by a joint task force of the DEA, FBI, IRS, and probably CIA and CBS, though I have no proof of the latter two. The doctor, Mordechai Bar, and the pharmacist, Feroze Nazirbage, have been accused of “violating their oaths,” something you almost never …

Time to get digital in your practice

Robert Murry, MD

Tech

September 7, 2024

Can you imagine if you were shopping online and placing an order took eight hours? What if your order took 26 days to arrive? Sadly, this is the current state of many Americans’ struggles to schedule their doctors’ appointments. We, as physicians, can do better.

Americans are spending an average of eight hours a month managing their health care and are waiting 26 days to see a new doctor in many …

Read more…

Time to get digital in your practice

Why isn’t medical advertising regulated like other advertising?

Martha Rosenberg

Meds

September 7, 2024

As long as you live, you will never hear an article from news media contending that “America Runs On Duncan.” Why? Because the line is a marketing allegation created by the advertising company and designed to sell product.

Yet news media repeat medical claims from drug makers found in journals like they are news, which gives Pharma companies free advertising and can mislead consumers and patients.

The most recent example is the …

The heartbreaking reality of smoking: a daughter’s final goodbye

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

September 7, 2024

Fred was the cool guy.

Back in the 1950s and 60s, smoking cigarettes was considered movie star quality. That circling of smoke in his parked car with the girl of his dreams.

He started smoking at the tender age of 15.

Fred had it figured out. Cigarettes were glamorous. Cigarettes were cool.

Doctors advertised that smoking was good for you. It helped you keep weight off, and it relieved your anxiety.

In 1965, the Surgeon …

Why all physicians are leaders [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 6, 2024

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

In this episode, neurosurgeon Leon Moores delves into his book, All Physicians Lead: Redefining Physician Leadership for Better Patient Outcomes. He challenges the traditional view of physician leadership as limited to formal titles, …

Medicare’s cobra effect: How a well-intentioned policy spiraled into a health care crisis

Robert Pearl, MD

Policy

September 6, 2024

In the sweltering heat of 19th-century colonial Delhi, legend has it that cobras were taking over the streets. To eliminate the dangerous snakes, British officials offered a bounty for every dead cobra brought to government offices. Soon, locals began breeding and killing cobras for profit. When British officers caught wind of the scheme, they ended the program immediately. In response, the breeders released their now-worthless snakes back into the streets, …

How parental preferences and evidence-based practices intersect to achieve success in intervention programs

Angela Nelson, EdD

Conditions

September 6, 2024

With more than 15 years of experience as a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and clinician working with children and teens with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their parents, I have seen first-hand how parent involvement is the key to success in intervention programs. To make an impact on these children’s lives, we need to go beyond simply applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy sessions. This is where parents come in, reinforcing, …

Empowering female doctors: How investment education can combat burnout and build wealth

Roma Mehta, MD

Finance

September 6, 2024

In today’s financial landscape, it is imperative for women in medicine to take charge of investing their own money. Physicians face a myriad of disadvantages when it comes to wealth building. The average medical student will be saddled with an average of $200,000 in student loan debt. The nature of prolonged medical training puts physicians at another disadvantage, with a high debt-to-income ratio until their mid-to-late 30s, causing them to …

Why hernias are a silent threat to women’s health [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 5, 2024

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

In this episode, Shirin Towfigh, a surgeon and hernia specialist, delves into the often-overlooked issue of hernias, particularly in women. The discussion highlights the challenges patients face when dealing with chronic pelvic pain …

Effective strategies to reduce hospital readmissions amidst staffing shortages

Ahzam Afzal, PharmD

Policy

September 5, 2024

Hospital readmissions continue to be frequent despite their negative impact on health outcomes and financial strain on the health care system overall. On average, 14.56 percent of patients across the nation who have been discharged from a hospital, whether to a post-acute care facility or a home, will be readmitted for unforeseen circumstances. Readmissions can be triggered for various reasons and may be inevitable, yet some could be easily …

The long strange trip of psychedelic drugs

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Meds

September 5, 2024

In the mid-1960s, the Grateful Dead were the house band for Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests, parties in which people were “tripping out” on LSD, parties that helped bring psychedelics into the counterculture. Psychedelic drugs have been the focus of extensive clinical research since then, and their potential therapeutic benefits have seen renewed interest in recent years. It’s been a long, strange trip for certain because, despite extensive research, there are …

Should transgender athletes compete in women’s sports?

William Lynes, MD

Conditions

September 5, 2024

Watching the 2024 Paris Olympics reminded me of my intense love for sports. It is the nobility, beauty, strength, agility, and fairness that attract me and the audience. Performances by Simone Biles, with her majesty and strength, to Katie Ledecky’s’ power and domination, surrounded by Olympic and world record performances, often bring me to tears. These attributes have abounded in Paris, but unfortunately, something foul is also afoot.

Sexual and gender …

Rising ER wait times signal larger health system challenges

Aiden Feng, MD, MBA

Policy

September 5, 2024

Emergency department (ED) wait times are on the rise across the United States, a troubling trend that reflects deeper systemic challenges in the nation’s health care systems. According to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the median time spent in the ED has increased from 2 hours and 15 minutes in 2018 to 2 hours and 40 minutes in recent years. Data from …

Living out of a car to pursue a dream: the true price of becoming a doctor [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 4, 2024

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

We sit down with Christina Stach, a medical student who shares her powerful journey of navigating the financial hardships of medical education. Christina’s story sheds light on the unique challenges faced by first-generation, …

The cost of exhaustion: Resident fatigue is a public health emergency

Medha Venigalla

Education

September 4, 2024

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in resident unionization across the country, driven largely by the grueling working conditions many residents face. While the most pressing issues are pay and burnout, one contributing cause is the long hours of training that contribute to resident sleep deprivation – a serious threat to resident health and patient safety. Despite duty hour restrictions imposed by the Accreditation Council for …

Cultivating joy beyond the clinic: a physician’s tale of rediscovering hobbies

Ben Reinking, MD

Physician

September 4, 2024

It smelled like hay, molasses, and mice. I really hoped there wasn’t a mouse in the oat bin again. It was early fall, and the pasture was eaten to the ground, so the horses received “special oats” with some molasses and corn added so they could head into the winter with extra fat stores. They loved it. So did the mice. I lifted the lid. No mice. Phew. I filled …

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