Literacy and patients’ understanding of health education

Conditions
September 24, 2022

In my first bioethics class, the components of health education (HE) were just being developed, and despite the passage of time, full understanding remains elusive as HE proved far more complex than originally conceived. We learned, simplistically, by present standards, that the provider (MD, DO, PA, NP) only needed to deliver information at a patient’s level of understanding, and the patient would provide a reasoned response. The constant over the …

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Who are the neurodiverse people in your life?

Conditions
September 24, 2022

As physicians, we equate terms like “disorder” and “syndrome” with pathology. If a diagnosis is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV, it’s considered a “problem.” In the case of neurodevelopmental diagnoses, I am becoming increasingly aware that this may not be the case. As a neurodiverse individual with many neurodiverse family members and friends, I believe there is nothing “wrong” with our brains. Different …

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KevinMD on PermanenteDocs Chat [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 23, 2022
YouTube video

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In this special episode, KevinMD is on the other side of the microphone as he’s interviewed by Dr. Alex McDonald, originally aired as a PermanenteDocs Chat presented by The Permanente Federation at Kaiser Permanente.

He shares his …

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Health care’s 3 epic childhood obesity failures

Conditions
September 23, 2022

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of spouting the same old worsening childhood obesity statistics, applying the same dilute and sometimes broken strategy, not getting anywhere, judging myself as a doctor, then shifting the blame to my patient and their parents, then feeling powerless and defeated.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

It’s a cycle we’re stuck in, and it’s not serving anyone, especially our patients.

I’m not going to go over the impact …

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I’m a doctor who just had his first colonoscopy in my 60s — without anesthesia

Conditions
September 23, 2022

Well, I am that family physician and geriatrician who is now almost 70 years old. And I cannot believe it because, in some ways, I am still like 27 years old!

First of all, I’m very healthy, and I’m lucky that nobody in my family had colon cancer or any cancer. Most of my relatives lived into the late 80s, and my grandmother and my grand grandfather lived to the ripe …

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We need a mental health infrastructure bill [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 22, 2022
YouTube video

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“As we slowly emerge from the physical withdrawal required during the pandemic, the emotional toll of this past year will become increasingly apparent. Complicated problems demand organized, financially-supported solutions. We need a mental health infrastructure bill now, …

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An awkward conversation with a friend might just save someone’s life

Physician
September 22, 2022

There is something special about that childhood friend. It’s a bond that lasts a lifetime, something we can only experience fully in our formative years. My friend was Richard. We were inseparable in school growing up, then roommates in college, growing into manhood together. When it came time for medical school, I went to Dallas, and Richard to Houston, where he would start his career. We drifted apart in those …

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How to change your specialty during residency

Education
September 22, 2022

There are no clear statistics, polls, or studies to know exactly how many physicians each year, or within their working lifetime, switch specialties. But with physician dissatisfaction scores steadily rising, this is becoming a very common sentiment.

First, I want to normalize and encourage everyone to practice self-compassion during this process.

I personally changed specialties early in my career and have numerous colleagues who also changed. We all profess immense happiness in …

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Walk to reduce your loneliness and improve your well-being [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 21, 2022
YouTube video

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“Just before the pandemic, I walked 96 miles (154.5 km) in seven days on the West Highland Way in Scotland, though I was hardly alone in this endeavor. About 250 people start the walk each day, including …

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Shame not on us: Diagnoses and treatments need to be transparent

Conditions
September 21, 2022

In Australia recently, a woman successfully sued a hospital for $2.4 million for a series of misdiagnoses that left her quadriplegic. A London woman was recently misdiagnosed four times before doctors discovered she had cervical cancer.

A Canadian woman recently filed a $3.5 million lawsuit claiming she was misdiagnosed and ignored when relaying her symptoms to doctors; she could have died. A 26-year-old woman nearly died after a …

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Making death conversations fun!

Conditions
September 21, 2022

“Arriving at an acceptance of one’s mortality is a process, not an epiphany.”
– Atul Gawande

Imagine a group of old (mature) friends gathered for a “girls” weekend in balmy Florida. The friendships started in grammar school and have continued for the better part of 50 years. These women have met at least once a year for more than 25 years and shared life’s ups and downs. On this trip, one of …

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The nicest patient I’ve ever met

Physician
September 21, 2022

The nicest patient I’ve ever met was Mr. Harris.

I first met him in the ED with his son and daughter by his side, noticing a foley bag filled with bright red blood.

He was an elderly gentleman with ALS and was brought by his children for hematuria and blood clots overnight. Never happened before, and we were all unsure of the cause. Urinalysis soon showed likely UTI, so we started antibiotics. …

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Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID [PODCAST]

Podcast
September 20, 2022
YouTube video

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“ME/CFS is a complex multi-system illness that destroys lives (essentially killing the person yet leaving them alive).  It leaves patients with unimaginable fatigue, post-exertional malaise (meaning that minor exertion makes them feel worse), cognitive deficits, cardiovascular dysfunction, …

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Is your smartwatch smart about your health?

Tech
September 20, 2022

Your smartwatch talks a lot but may not say as much as you believe with regard to health. Constant data collection from wearables claims to improve medicine at large. Is the “quantified self” the next evolution or a gimmick for patients?

Imagine your sleep and heart data beamed straight to your medical record. Your care team might notice a red flag and schedule a virtual appointment immediately. Health care wearables, meaning …

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Don’t let vindictiveness creep into medicine like it has in politics

Policy
September 20, 2022

The callous and inhumane dislocation of migrants recently perpetrated by governors of the states of Florida and Texas reminded me of an equally disdainful and appalling tactic utilized by health care workers since the 1960s: “Greyhound therapy.”

Greyhound therapy refers to attempts by health care workers and administrators to remove undesirable patients from emergency rooms, hospitals, and other types of facilities by providing them one-way tickets on a Greyhound Lines …

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Giving up the knife: Saying goodbye to surgery

Physician
September 20, 2022

This year, I stopped doing surgery — giving up the knife, so to speak. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. I’ve been a surgeon for 32 years since graduating from medical school. It’s been a distinct part of who I am for most of my life.

This doesn’t mean I’ve retired. I’m still practicing in a clinic-based setting and still do procedures in the office. I just no longer operate …

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