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Discover the physician who made a village his family

Physician

February 28, 2024

I finished my residency training on June 30th, 2000, in a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program at Ohio State University and Columbus Children’s Hospital (before it was renamed Nationwide Children’s Hospital). One month later, I was slated to begin my first “adult” job as I joined a private family medicine practice in Southern Ohio – practicing traditional medicine (outpatient and inpatient care). There were no hospitalists back then …

Beyond medical vs. N95: strategic masking for COVID protection

P. Dileep Kumar, MD, MBA

Conditions

February 28, 2024

Do masks prevent COVID-19 infections? You might be thinking that it is a bit late to ponder these questions. But better late than never! As shown in the following graph provided by the CDC, COVID is here to stay with us, at least for the time being. Even though nothing compared to the 140,000 hospitalizations per week during the early 2022 wave, there were still about 40,000 weekly hospitalizations a …

The untold truth of medical residency: a look at its grueling past and present

Katherine Twombley, MD

Physician

February 28, 2024

An excerpt from First Do No Harm: A Physician’s Burnout and Mental Health Guidebook from Medical School to Retirement.

Residency requirements have changed drastically since my father completed medical school in the 1970s. Residents needed to be fully focused and alert despite working forty-eight- or seventy-two-hour days, which led some to substance misuse. Some residents took stimulants to help perk themselves …

Contract negotiations: When physicians ask for too much [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 27, 2024

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

Join Dennis Hursh, a health care attorney. Dennis sheds light on the often misunderstood world of physician contract negotiations, emphasizing the importance of understanding one’s true value. He shares insights from his practice, …

Is your persistent cough more than a cold? Understanding micro-choking.

West Haven VA Center of Education in Interprofessional Primary Care

Conditions

February 27, 2024

These days, everybody is coughing. The resurgence of COVID, RSV, and flu has overwhelmed emergency rooms and hospitals this early winter. But not all coughs are viral. If you recently visited a family member for the holidays and noticed a persistent cough after dinner, you may have witnessed not a viral illness but what’s known as an aspiration event.

As primary care providers, we frequently take care of people who are …

The costly divide: tech innovations and global health inequality

Kayra Cengiz

Tech

February 27, 2024

“You have various options for this procedure. However, we will only be able to get the best results with the newest artificial lens on the market. Unfortunately, this type of lens is not covered by any insurance provider since it is sold by a single company in U.S. dollars. Unless you can afford it out of pocket, we would have to go with the older version.”

This is part of a …

Why the medical community should be invested in understanding chronic wasting disease

Jackson J. McCue

Conditions

February 27, 2024

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible prion disease seen in the deer family – including mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, and moose – in countries throughout the world. The prion affects nervous system tissue in infected animals. Eventually leading to erratic behavior and certain death. Currently, there is no evidence of direct transmission of CWD to humans. However, given the biological plausibility for transmission, equity/ecological concerns, and the …

Breaking boundaries in health care: untold stories of triumph and transformation [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 26, 2024

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

Join Kim Downey, a physical therapist, alongside Brittany Lamb, an emergency physician, and Adam Harrison, a physician, lawyer, and leadership coach. Together, they share their unique journeys and discuss common themes of empowerment, …

How narrative medicine empowers neurodivergent patients

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Conditions

February 26, 2024

It’s been said that the challenges neurodiverse people face are the ones that neurotypical people view as easy, and vice versa. It speaks to the hard-wired diversity of cognitive styles and perspectives among different individuals.

Neurotypical people, who generally fit within the societal norms of cognitive functioning, might find certain tasks or social situations easier due to their alignment with mainstream expectations. On the other hand, neurodivergent individuals, who have variations …

How Barbie exposes sexism in medicine

Victoria Johnson, MD, MPH

Physician

February 26, 2024

A scene in the movie Barbie is all too familiar to female physicians. Ken asks a female physician, “Can I talk to a doctor?” and she replies, “You are talking to a doctor.” He ignores her, then requests her assistance with various menial tasks (“Can you get me a coffee … I need a clicky pen”) before abruptly walking off in the direction of two short-haired, presumably male medical professionals, …

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How Barbie exposes sexism in medicine

From crisis to solution: Overcoming America’s children’s mental health emergency [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 25, 2024

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

We dive into the urgent state of children’s mental health in America with our guest, Alex Stavros, a health care executive. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Alex sheds light …

The ultimate guide to child dental sedation

Emily Knipper, MD

Conditions

February 25, 2024

Cavities in kids are common, and many children are unable to complete dental work without sedation. Dental anxiety must be balanced with safe and expedient dental treatment. Further information about early childhood caries can be found here. The prevalence of dental decay in children varies in different groups but is as high as 85 percent in some populations.

Sedation is recommended for the completion of dental work in children with …

Health insurance CEOs face “prior authorization”: a taste of their own medicine?

Jennifer Lycette, MD

Physician

February 25, 2024

A fictional monologue.

You’ve reached the prior authorization denial appeal line for insurance CEOs. Case number, please.

I’m sorry you’ve had to hold for over an hour, but we can’t proceed if we don’t have your case number, a copy of your business degree on file, GMAT score, three letters of recommendation, the middle name of your dentist, and your high school transcript.

Yes, I was only joking about the dentist! LOL! We’re …

The power of empathy: a tale of 2 prostate biopsies

Scott Janssen, MSW, LCSW

Conditions

February 25, 2024

I’m sitting in a windowless room in the hospital’s urology department waiting for my second prostate biopsy, feeling surprisingly calm and relaxed.

It’s a surveillance biopsy. Two years ago, the first one revealed “a few scattered cancer cells” while zeroing in on what turned out to be a harmless nodule. I’d learned then that a prostate biopsy will never make anyone’s list of fun things to do. In addition to being, …

Going beyond the usual advice for eating healthy [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 24, 2024

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

Join Francisco M. Torres, an interventional physiatrist. As the author of Dr. T’s Drop the Fat Diet: 12 Steps to Leaner You Forever, Dr. Torres shares invaluable findings from recent clinical studies, revealing …

Surviving my nephrectomy nightmare: the night I’ll never forget

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

February 24, 2024

My first post-op night after my nephrectomy was a mix of fantastical and almost devastating.

I woke up in the PACU after my surgery, extremely confused and disoriented. I felt like I was trapped inside a video game, desperately trying to escape.

Upon entering my new post-op room on a medical-surgical unit, it had that brand-new, hotel-like decor – shiny and pristine. The nurses, techs, and NPs greeted me with words of …

Doctors speak out against toxic work conditions

Toni Brayer, MD

Physician

February 24, 2024

I’m in a global private physician Facebook group, and I learn a great deal about health care, both good and bad, from other doctors. Because it is private, doctors share a lot of personal practice issues as well as challenging cases from which we all learn. The physician who posted this message from her hospital employer gave permission for me to use …

Large language models in health care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 23, 2024

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

We delve into the intersection of large language models (LLMs) and health care with David Lareau, a health care executive. Since the debut of ChatGPT, the health care sector has been abuzz with …

Why immigrant physicians struggle to bring their aging parents to the U.S.

Deepak Gupta, MD and Sarwan Kumar, MD

Physician

February 23, 2024

In the United States (U.S.), immigrating physicians typically fall into three categories: those working temporarily on nonimmigrant visas, those permanently residing on immigrant visas, and those who have become U.S. citizens through naturalization.

While immigrating physicians can easily move from their home countries to the U.S., they often encounter challenges when considering bringing their aging dependent parents with them. The U.S. offers temporary nonimmigrant pathways for parents of immigrating physicians who …

What does it mean to be a great doctor?

Sofia Dobrin, MD

Physician

February 23, 2024

Like most existential questions, the answer to this question really depends on who you ask.

A patient may have one answer, and a physician a completely different response.

Ask ten people, and you’re likely to get ten different replies.

What does being a great doctor mean to you?

If you’re a doctor, this is an important question to ask yourself because your answers impact how you practice and interact with your patients. Even more …

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What does it mean to be a great doctor?

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