Jimmy Carter’s end-of-life decision: Respecting patient autonomy and the importance of hospice care

Conditions
April 12, 2023

A KevinMD article about Jimmy Carter’s end-of-life care decision, “The heartbreaking story of Jimmy Carter: a call for Medicare reform in end-of-life care,” indicated that the former president’s decision was heartbreaking. However, I have a different view. In my opinion, the 39th president, at age 98, made an autonomous and well-informed decision.

On February 18, The Carter Center announced in a statement that “after a series of short hospital stays, …

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Is it time to say goodbye to medical school rankings?

Education
April 12, 2023

Premeds, don’t let them mislead you again.

It was once said that if we were 30 percent less intelligent, we would likely become happier. Sadly, awareness precedes intelligence. There is terrifyingly little strength involved in witnessing any tragedy that would either take a very long time to unsee or would stick with us to the grave. Around January, we heard the shot go around the world; 11 …

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From community to corporation: the transformation of primary care [PODCAST]

Podcast
April 11, 2023
YouTube video

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In this podcast episode, we have Michael Fine, a family physician and author of On Medicine as Colonialism, sharing his insights on the changing landscape of primary care. He reflects on his experience of practicing in a …

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Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome: Understanding a rare disorder and supporting patients and families

Conditions
April 11, 2023

Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical features, including intellectual disability, growth retardation, and distinct craniofacial and limb abnormalities. Named after Dr. Jack Rubinstein and Dr. Hooshang Taybi, who first described the syndrome in 1963, RTS remains an area in which the medical community has limited understanding, diagnosis, and treatment options. Improved awareness and research efforts are needed …

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Why health care careers are essential in the age of AI: Encouraging our children to pursue the irreplaceable human touch

Tech
April 11, 2023

The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have left many parents questioning the best career paths for their children in a world increasingly influenced by automation. One field that continues to be indispensable, despite AI’s growing presence, is health care. The unique qualities of human empathy, critical thinking, and adaptability remain essential in this sector, ensuring that health care professionals retain a …

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Transforming birth: How advocacy and sharing stories can shape policy and empower families

Conditions
April 11, 2023

Musical genius and mogul Rihanna recently graced the Oscars stage for her second performance after the birth of her son, with a baby bump indicating her second pregnancy. She described her first birth as “blessed” and “beautiful.” While many expecting parents long to describe their birthing process similarly, there are realities within the medical system that complicate this narrative for those who are not celebrities. When my partner and I …

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Revolutionizing women’s health: a community-based approach

Physician
April 11, 2023

I’m building a platform for people to talk about all things women’s health. It serves the needs of education and awareness, peer support, and community building. These are all things I have wanted to offer, but until now, I didn’t know how to do so.

It started with trying to figure out how to leverage and embrace technology to bring my knowledge to patients. Every day I give the same information …

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A medical advocate’s role in the COVID ICU [PODCAST]

Podcast
April 10, 2023
YouTube video

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In this episode, guest Sara L. Merwin, co-author of The Informed Patient: A Complete Guide to a Hospital Stay, shares her experience helping a family navigate their loved one’s hospital stay during the height of the COVID …

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The surgeon-anesthesiologist relationship: Learning to work together in the OR

Physician
April 10, 2023

Last week I walked past him sitting outside of the OR. It was morning, before all of the first start cases, but he had been there all night. I already knew this. Two back-to-back transplants overnight. He, a surgical fellow, me, a critical care anesthesiologist who was a surgical resident over a decade ago. I could see the circles under his eyes that seemed to take up over half of …

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Uncovering the controversial debate surrounding climate change

Physician
April 10, 2023

In a recent posting, “The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools,” the author concluded that climate change is “here and undeniable” and, based on her experience of wildfires, that the cataclysmic consequences are already upon us.

Many would disagree, including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Dr. Ivar Giaever who, on resigning from the American Physical Society (APS) in protest, wrote: “In the APS it is OK to discuss whether …

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Advocacy and collaboration lead to major patient safety benefits on sterile pharmaceutical compounding: a review of USP’s revisions to Chapter <797>

Meds
April 10, 2023

In November 2022, revisions to the United States Pharmacopeia’s (USP) General Chapter <797>, a standard for sterile pharmaceutical compounding – defined as the process of “combining, admixing, diluting, pooling, reconstituting, repackaging, or otherwise altering a drug product or bulk drug substance to create a sterile medication” – were published. USP <797> plays a major role in guiding …

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When peer review goes wrong: the impact on physicians’ civil and constitutional rights [PODCAST]

Podcast
April 9, 2023
YouTube video

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Join us for this episode with guest Farid Gharagozloo, a cardiothoracic surgeon, as we discuss the unintended consequences of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 (HCQIA). While the act was designed to protect public health …

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Physician burnout solutions should be focused on subtraction not addition

Physician
April 9, 2023

I am naturally a problem solver, and I share this characteristic with most of my fellow physicians. When I felt burned out at one point in my career, I was certain that a literature search would help me solve the problem by giving me answers I could use to make my burnout a thing of the past.

My research, within the academic literature and information on the web, led to some …

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Finding hope in the face of cancer

Conditions
April 9, 2023

“My best friend’s mother arrived at our oncology outpatient department. She had recently been diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer and was understandably apprehensive, filled with numerous questions. I took her medical history and performed an examination. She didn’t have any relatives with cancer, so all the treatments and terminology were completely unfamiliar to her. Her medical workup was completed, and she began neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with surgery planned for a …

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Medical autonomy: the untold struggles of employed doctors

Physician
April 9, 2023

Physicians caught in the tentacles of employment as a means of possibly earning higher incomes and, unfortunately, believing such a platform of medical practice is the panacea of satisfaction and reaching your medical practice expectations that permeate your retirement with regrets.

During my 14 years of clinical medical practice in various settings, including the military, HMOs, and as a hospitalist, my experiences disrupted my initial career plans and intensified my desire …

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Is personalized medicine worth the cost? [PODCAST]

Podcast
April 8, 2023
YouTube video

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In this episode, we discuss personalized medicine with guest Ketan Desai, a physician-executive. We explore how Henry Ford’s mass production method influenced the pharmaceutical industry, and how personalized medicine presents new challenges. CAR T-cell therapy is an …

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How do we reduce hypertension in Black Americans?

Conditions
April 8, 2023

Nearly half of all Americans have high blood pressure, but hypertension disproportionately affects Black Americans, with 56 percent of this population affected. The disparity is especially stark for stage II hypertension, which affects 42.1 percent of Black Americans compared with 28.7 percent of white Americans. “In the United States, at any decade of life, blacks have a higher prevalence of hypertension than that of …

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Are these 6 habits making you unhappy?

Physician
April 8, 2023

We all know that life has its ups and downs.

And sometimes life gets really messy — and there are days and times that really suck! (No toxic positivity here.)

But we’re all just trying our best with what we have at that moment in time. (Don’t forget to give yourself some credit!)

That being said, there are also some habits that you may be (unconsciously) doing that are making …

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From overworking to self-care: a pediatric neurologist’s journey [PODCAST]

Podcast
April 7, 2023
YouTube video

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In this episode, we welcome Maria Xiang, a pediatric neurologist, join us to share her personal journey and insights on how to remain emotionally present in the midst of life’s challenges.

Maria opens up about how she believed that virtue and self-sacrifice were her protection, leading her to overwork and overprepare without considering her own …

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