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Uncovering the truth behind my father’s tragic end

Conditions

December 24, 2023

I was the “stranger” at my father’s bedside. Shortly after his 84th birthday, my father fell and landed in the hospital with a split scalp. His metastatic prostate cancer was an incidental finding, and superimposing this wildly invasive tumor on his Parkinson’s-compromised body marked his first steps onto his death path.

I came to my father’s final illness as his daughter, a doctor, and a clinical bioethicist. While I was unable …

What the media gets wrong when reporting on “overprescribing”

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Meds

December 24, 2023

A recent article in the Macomb Daily reported that a “Shelby Township doctor was convicted last Thursday of all counts for conspiring to distribute more than 300,000 opioid prescription pills valued at over $6 million, following a trial in U.S. District Court in Ann Arbor, according to federal authorities.”

This sounds very serious on its face. But without context, the public, and even we, have no idea what this means. …

Why clinical pathologists should learn poker theory

Yamac Akgun, MD

Physician

December 24, 2023

Texas poker, also known as Texas hold’em, is one of the most popular variations of poker played around the world. It’s a game of skill and strategy, with a bit of luck thrown in, and understanding the underlying theory can help you improve your game and increase your chances of winning. Poker and clinical pathology may seem like two very different fields, but there are some interesting similarities and differences …

Thriving under pressure: How medical residents can excel with distress tolerance [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 23, 2023

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Join Frances Mei Hardin, an otolaryngologist, as we delve into the world of distress tolerance in medical residency training. Discover practical techniques, real-life anecdotes, and evidence-based practices to help residents navigate the intense and challenging environment of …

The path forward for telepsychiatry: a call for permanent policy

Georgia Gaveras, DO

Conditions

December 23, 2023

The U.S. is facing a significant mental health crisis that has united us in our efforts to make positive changes across the health care ecosystem for those in need of care. As health care providers and experienced clinicians, we hope our joint dedication to addressing barriers to care and expanding digital services to those experiencing mental health challenges can make a lasting impact and start to improve health outcomes.

To …

Down with diversity in 2024?

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

December 23, 2023

Since the December 5, 2023, Congressional hearing into antisemitic harassment at Penn, Harvard, and MIT, I was shocked to learn how universities, large and small, public and private, have been hijacked by extreme right-wing leaders connected directly or indirectly to the GOP.

Examples include:

Youngstown State University bypassed the normal search process to select its new president, Republican U.S. Representative Bill Johnson. Johnson has no experience in academia and voted with dozens …

Read more…

Down with diversity in 2024?

Words of caution when considering the use of “terminal anorexia”: perspective from lived experience

Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD

Conditions

December 23, 2023

After reading the article “Terminal anorexia nervosa: three cases and proposed clinical characteristics,” I was grateful to have not had access to the article a year earlier – when I would have personally met criteria. I was holding on to a sliver of hope at the time that I could enter back into a quality of life worth living, though my exhausted mind wanted to allow anorexia nervosa to …

Addressing the enormous scale of work-related burnout and mental injury in doctors

Leanne Rowe, MD

Conditions

December 23, 2023

When a 24-year-old laborer’s apprentice used a chainsaw without training, they sustained a jagged laceration through their left quadriceps. When I saw them 12 months later in my general practice, their laceration was well healed. However, they remained unemployed because their untreated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was aggravated on their return to work when their boss put a chainsaw in their hands to help …

Breaking down weight management: insights from a bariatric expert [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 22, 2023

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Join Maria Iliakova, a bariatric and general surgeon. In this episode, we’ll explore essential topics in weight management and bariatric surgery. Discover effective ways to start conversations about weight with patients, learn when to refer to a …

The hidden costs of “free” medical interpretation

Victoria Johnson, MD, MPH and Maria Isabel Angulo, MD

Physician

December 22, 2023

He is a typical patient of our academic primary care internal medicine practice: elderly, frail, and with several complex conditions, including a history of a liver transplant requiring chronic immunosuppression, recurrent venous thrombosis requiring treatment with blood thinners, and type 2 diabetes. But in one very important way, he is different: our doctors don’t speak his language.

It is his fourth visit in the past six months, and, as usual, the …

The doctor’s guide to dividend wealth: Building a resilient portfolio with smart investments

Amarish Dave, DO

Finance

December 22, 2023

Dividend investing, a strategy centered on generating income through regular dividend payments, holds particular relevance for doctors aiming to build a resilient and diversified financial portfolio. In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits, risks, and tax implications of incorporating dividends into a doctor’s financial strategy.

Benefits of dividend investing for doctors

Stable income stream. Dividend-paying stocks, often from established and financially sound companies, provide a consistent and reliable income stream. For doctors, this …

A doctor’s path to recognizing her own humanity

Anonymous

Physician

December 22, 2023

“Today is the first day of the rest of my life!”

I’m sure you’ve heard that many times before; I’m sure I have. But in my obscure point of existence in this endless universe, that statement has never been more accurate than it is today.

Being a physician has been a flame burning inside my chest my entire life. I decided on it when I was three years old, and aside from …

Time to retire quarantine: Why 5-day isolation guidelines are doing more harm than good

Carolyn Boscia, MD

Conditions

December 22, 2023

I’m making morning rounds on the pediatric unit today: First up, 4-year-old twins with a severe asthma flare; next an infant with bronchiolitis on supplemental oxygen; then a dehydrated 3-year-old listless in bed. These children are all hospitalized with viral illness – but none of it is COVID-19. Meanwhile, their sniffling peers fill daycares and classrooms, and my daughter is among them. “Maybe it’s allergies,” I said to myself this …

From 8-hour to 12-hour shifts: Exploring health care’s changing landscape [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 21, 2023

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Join Bruce L. Davidson, a pulmonary and critical care physician. We delve into the transformation of health care work conditions, from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts, and how this impacts both health care professionals and patient care. …

Lifelong learning: a game-changer in diagnosing dizziness

John Corsino, DPT

Conditions

December 21, 2023

The eyes can’t see what the mind doesn’t yet know – an axiom to remind us not just of the value of lifelong learning, but that the answers are often in the exam room with us.

Though bright and committed clinical people we may be, we’re dragged by the tendrils of a lumbering behemoth. American health care is designed to produce revenue and built to punish highly visible mistakes over more …

Medical malpractice or miscarriage of justice? A doctor’s ordeal.

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Physician

December 21, 2023

In 1999, Sally Clark was convicted of murder. Her son, Christopher, had been born in September of 1996 and by all accounts, had been a healthy baby. Just three months later, an ambulance was called to the home, and the baby was dead.

The mother, Sally, said that she had just put him to bed and found him unresponsive not long after. The police were suspicious; she seemed a little cold …

Health care advocacy: physicians as changemakers

Manju Mahajan, MD

Physician

December 21, 2023

Advocacy plays a vital role in medicine, especially primary care. It means differently for different people in health care. Health advocacy is defined as “the processes by which the actions of individuals or groups attempt to bring about social and organizational change on behalf of a particular health goal, program, interest, or population.” In an article by Mark Ernest et al., they propose the definition of physician …

The promise and pitfalls of large language models in clinical applications

David Lareau

Tech

December 21, 2023

Since the unveiling of ChatGPT almost a year ago, the health care sector has been abuzz with anticipation and intrigue surrounding the capabilities and potential applications of large language models (LLMs) within the medical sphere. As senior health care executives know all too well, our industry is no stranger to technological advances. But as with every promising tool, it’s essential to recognize its inherent limitations—especially when patient care and safety …

Scrubbing in and stepping up: the baseball-medicine connection [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

December 20, 2023

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Join Stephen J. Foley, a medical student, as we dive into the intriguing parallels between the world of baseball and the field of medicine. Discover how skills from the baseball diamond translate to the hospital wards, and …

From now on, doctors will not be thrown under the bus when they are sued for medical malpractice

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

December 20, 2023

I am an OB/GYN and no stranger to malpractice litigation. As beleaguered as you may feel when you are sued for medical malpractice, the next hurdle to conquer after you are served is when you realize that your own attorney is prepared to throw you under the bus.

You do not deserve this. Whether a complication is an error of nature or a medical error, a complication always precedes a lawsuit. …