We tell our stories, but who will listen?
You and I are different from who we were yesterday, last year, three years ago. We have been impacted by the pandemic, loss, and stress. We are struggling to bring some semblance of normality back into our lives. War, climate change, racial discontent, political division, and economic upheaval have affected our psyche and health.
We long to tell our stories, first to ourselves and then to those whom we trust to …
Adding more team members is the wrong answer to decreasing physician burnout
I recently read an article about reducing physician burnout written by a health care consultant who proposed the creation of an enhanced medical scribe, or “team care assistant” (TCA). According to the article, the TCA obtains the patient’s medical history through “template-driven questions about the chief complaint.” After obtaining the history, the TCA then calls the physician into the exam room to present their findings. The article …
What to do when doctors develop “portal hypertension”
This article is satire.
Physicians today are confronting yet another epidemic, one that affects doctors directly and is not caused by a virus. It is the result of the “patient portal” through which patients send typed messages directly to their physicians. Though the portal has benefits, anecdotal experience suggests that high message volume is having a deleterious effect on doctors’ blood pressure.
I have dubbed this phenomenon “portal hypertension,” despite the objections …
Public health requires collective courage [PODCAST]
Managing migraine in women: How doctors can help women get back to living their lives
This article is sponsored by Biohaven Pharmaceuticals.
While everyone has dealt with a headache at some time in their life, a migraine is more than “just a headache.” This I can say from my own experience is true. As a headache specialist with a foundation in family medicine for 22 years, I know firsthand how the debilitating symptoms of migraine can wreak havoc on a person’s life, especially if not …
The reality of being a physician and a son at the same time
On February 25th, 2022, my father was placed on oxygen a week after I had surgery for a torn Achilles. He was facing his first idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) flare. I knew this day would come; it was only a matter of time. I’ve seen and cared for patients who have faced IPF, but it hit home that our lives would drastically change.
As I concluded the video visit with his …
Hearing loss is a significant public health problem
Hearing loss can be a real pain in the rear. Aside from its annoyance on friends and loved ones, it can pose a significant health problem. For instance, there is growing evidence linking hearing loss and dementia.
Yes, impaired hearing can lead to dementia, which is an impairment of cognition. Cognition is the mental process that allows one to acquire knowledge and understanding through thought. It is the …
Where are we going with monkeypox?
Monkeypox has been in the news since May 2022. Barely recovering from the anxieties of COVID-19, the natural question in our mind is how is this all going to play out? We might not have accurate predictions yet, but almost six months into the outbreak, we have more information that we can rely on.
The graphs below show the number of confirmed monkeypox cases on a daily basis and on a …
Premature babies grow up. It’s time to pay attention. [PODCAST]
Are antibiotics too much of a good thing?
Since the development of antibiotics in the 1940s, patients presenting with an infection could be expected to respond quickly to a prescribed course of antibiotics by their physician. While the antibiotic prescription model has helped countless lives, this paradigm has degraded over time due to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The net impact is a global health crisis, worsened by continuing the over-prescription and misuse of antibiotics.
The more drugs …
The impact of a lack of diagnosis reaches far and wide
Getting a medical diagnosis can actually be a huge relief.
I know it may seem counter-intuitive.
Saying “I have cancer,” “I have Parkinson’s,” or “I have depression” definitely doesn’t belong in the same realm as being relieved.
Or maybe it does.
When was the last time you saw a GoFundMe for “gradually progressive neurologic symptoms for 20 years that numerous physicians in many different specialties still don’t understand”?
When did you form a Team Lucy …
Back to reality when it comes to pain treatment
Back in the 1980s, I had a longtime patient, age about 30, that came to my office for severe back pain. She previously had some mild back pain and had no orthopedic evaluation. Otherwise, she was in good health without any other health issues.
She could barely walk upright, so I sent her to the orthopedic physician I normally referred my patients to the same day. He sent her back to …
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Your anesthesiologist cares for you [PODCAST]
All I ever wanted to be was a nurse
I am a nurse. I am tired and defeated. Thursday, I went to work at 7 a.m. after the strike, only to want to leave as soon as I walked into the hospital. We were short-staffed … again. I made an “aware” which is a hospital forum where anyone can report unsafe staffing, hospital conditions, maintenance, or security issues. My aware went to my unit manager where we had a …
The journey is to find the gift in the challenge
An excerpt from The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture.
Ours is a culture wholly averse to death and even aging; think of how many products are geared toward erasing or “reversing” the signs of oncoming infirmity, the physical reminders of life’s finitude. Here, then, …
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Coaching or mentorship: What is the solution for physicians?
Over the years, I have mentored a lot of trainees. After discovering coaching and seeing my career transform after I started working with a coach, I have become a coach myself. I definitely use coaching techniques with my mentees, but the relationship I have with them is different from the one I have with my coaching clients. Coaching and mentorship are different but complementary approaches to moving your career forward. …
Insurance companies deny medical care. And that’s wrong. [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!
“Securing prior authorizations is a daily ordeal for most doctors’ offices. Doctors report that, on average, they must get insurance company approvals 41 times every week. Of the authorization requests that are denied, fully 73% ultimately get …
It is a gift to be on a team where people think differently
You may just think differently. Not wrong.
It is a gift to be on a team where people think differently.
However, some leaders want people to all to think like them. And they become upset and frustrated when you think differently.
So we step back and observe why they may be frustrated. We may observe in ourselves why their opinion and approval matter so much.
The discomfort may push you to abort your own …
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Is Elon Musk right about the future of medicine?
“Mark my words. AI (artificial intelligence) is more dangerous than the nukes.”
– Elon Musk
The other day, as soon as I walked in to work, already running my usual ten minutes late, I was hustling from my office to the clinic when I saw one of our physician assistants in the hallway. Otherwise known for her calm composure, it seemed odd that she was visibly distressed. She had forgotten her laptop …
Past Week
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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What happened to real care in health care?
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How doctors can thrive despite declining reimbursements
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Pope Francis dies at 88. What his care reveals about America’s failing hospitals.
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Medical school admissions are racing toward an AI-driven disaster
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Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant’s journey from burnout to world travel [PODCAST]
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Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
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How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
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How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
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Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
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How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
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Recent Posts
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Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant’s journey from burnout to world travel [PODCAST]
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Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?
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Why nurses are the true heroes of my 25-year medical journey
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What independent bookstores and private practice doctors teach us about human connection
-
How fake news about transgender mice is hurting real patients
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The preceptor paradox: PAs get the nod while NPs are sidelined
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Past Week
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
How doctors can thrive despite declining reimbursements
-
Pope Francis dies at 88. What his care reveals about America’s failing hospitals.
-
Medical school admissions are racing toward an AI-driven disaster
-
Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant’s journey from burnout to world travel [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
Recent Posts
-
Taking a break from medicine: a physician assistant’s journey from burnout to world travel [PODCAST]
-
Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?
-
Why nurses are the true heroes of my 25-year medical journey
-
What independent bookstores and private practice doctors teach us about human connection
-
How fake news about transgender mice is hurting real patients
-
The preceptor paradox: PAs get the nod while NPs are sidelined
-
