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Unlocking the potential of allied health roles for a thriving health care system

Policy

November 30, 2023

In the complex world of health care, doctors and nurses often take center stage. But behind them is a much larger team supporting the delivery of exceptional care. Allied health professionals – like radiology and surgery technicians – play an essential role in health care, and it’s time we shine a brighter light on the importance of these roles and the tremendous opportunities they present for those seeking a career …

A physician’s cry in light of world events

Fareeha Khan, MD

Physician

November 30, 2023

I am not a pediatrician, and I am glad that I am not. There was a time in my life when becoming a pediatrician was a genuine career aspiration, but the universe clearly steered me away from it. After becoming a mother and receiving the title of a “NICU mom,” I could see how switching tracks was a blessing for my sanity. Those who continue to provide this noble service …

Protecting your health from environmental threats [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 29, 2023

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

Join Tami Burdick, a patient advocate and the author of Diagnosis Detective: Curing Granulomatous Mastitis. Discover the overlooked factors that can contribute to unexplained health issues and learn practical steps to protect yourself and your loved ones …

Efficient staffing partners for health systems

Patrick Dotts

Policy

November 29, 2023

Although the health care workforce has begun to normalize following the historic lows of the pandemic, according to Staffing Industry Analyst’s most recent Healthcare Staffing Report, health care employers across the board still struggle with a tight labor market, high turnover, and continued attrition.

In fact, the health care sector continues to rank last for overall employee satisfaction, with low scores in areas such as engagement, intent-to-stay, and employee experience …

10 things to know about your doctor that will get you better care

Dawn Sears, MD & Kim Downey, PT

Physician

November 29, 2023

During a recent conversation with Dr. Dawn Sears, I mentioned that I was working on a presentation I wish to give locally, speaking on “How caring for your doctor gets you better care.”

Our discussion revealed some important insights all patients should be aware of, which we share here:

1. Let the pilot fly the plane. Passengers generally don’t walk onto an airplane and start complaining to the pilot about their seat …

Can generative artificial intelligence help clinicians better manage patient messages?

Spencer D. Dorn, MD, MPH and Justin Norden, MD, MBA

Tech

November 29, 2023

In today’s digitized, on-demand world, patients frequently use portals to send their physicians questions and requests. Today, physicians receive 57 percent more patient messages than before the pandemic. They spend the highest proportion of their inbox time on these messages, often responding after hours.

While messaging is an essential care access point, high volume strains the thinly–stretched health care workforce and may contribute to burnout. …

New primary care decision support tools make offloading below-license tasks from the EHR more important than ever

Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD

Tech

November 29, 2023

Clinical decision support tools in the EHR are gaining momentum. These exciting and meaningful innovations are challenging us to make room for them to flourish.

New technology is often disruptive before it finds its way to being helpful. In the late 1800s, the telephone created unexpected challenges in medical practice at its inception; it brought a need for new team members to answer calls and required doctors and patients to develop …

Physician burnout reimagined

Claudia Finkelstein, MD

Physician

November 28, 2023

While preparing yet another talk about burnout, I had a brainstorm. I created a counterpoint PowerPoint (or tongue-in-cheek complementary model) to The Stanford Model of Professional Fulfillment. Perhaps it was a particularly irreverent or flippant stage of my own stuttering burnout. Maybe it was passive-aggressive pent-up frustration. Whatever it was, I came up with a “new and improved” model for physician burnout. I’ve gotten rather burned out on burnout. …

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Physician burnout reimagined

A mother’s healing love song

Ana María Caballero

Conditions

November 28, 2023

An excerpt from A Petit Mal.

In ER, we are seen by French doctor, which is unusual and relevant because doctor asks boy if he likes any French soccer teams. Boy is wearing Italian soccer jersey.

Yes, Paris Saint-Germain, boy says.

Ah, doctor says, you like PSG. And you also like Juventus, ah.

Boy …

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A mother’s healing love song

Government surveillance: How electronic prescription records are changing medicine

L. Joseph Parker, MD

Physician

November 28, 2023

Every time an American fills a prescription, a searchable electronic database record is made. This record is kept, like the paper records of a few decades ago, to allow for verification of medications dispensed in the U.S. But in the past, to access these records, enforcement agencies had to get a search warrant signed by a judge. This meant that the authorities had to have and show to the court …

Intensive caring: Reminding patients they matter

Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD

Physician

November 28, 2023

Dame Cicely Saunders, the founder of the modern hospice movement and palliative care, famously said, “You matter because you are you, and you matter to the last moment of your life.” This quote has become the central philosophical tenet of palliative care. It implores us to remind patients, who may be feeling helpless, hopeless, or worthless, that they matter. There is abundant evidence that patients approaching death are susceptible to …

Navigating COVID: Why it still matters

Anu Osinusi, MD, MPH & The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 28, 2023

This article is sponsored by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

In this special sponsored episode from Gilead, I’m joined by Anu Osinusi, an infectious disease physician and Vice President of Clinical Research for Hepatitis, Respiratory, and Emerging Viruses at Gilead, to discuss navigating COVID-19 today. We look back on the early days of …

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Navigating COVID: Why it still matters

Cannabis compounds and fracture healing [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 27, 2023

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

Join L. Joseph Parker, a research physician, as we explore a recent study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Discover how two compounds found in cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabigerol (CBG), may revolutionize fracture …

Empowering health care workers amid consolidation

Anonymous

Physician

November 27, 2023

If there is one root cause of all the disgruntlement among health care workers, it is that we lost autonomy due to hospital consolidation. Relationships are largely about leverage. With rare exceptions, a single doctor cannot dramatically impact the bottom line of a hospital chain, whereas the loss of your professional income—particularly for those of us geographically rooted in an area with few alternatives—is devastating.

The beauty of locums is that …

Bad grammar makes me mad. I can’t help it.

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Physician

November 27, 2023

Some of the most brilliantly funny men have the saddest personal lives. John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Sam Kinison were all preceded by Jerome Lester Horwitz, otherwise known as Curly of the Three Stooges: n’yuk-n’yuk-n’yuk. Why, soitenly the tragic life of a comedic legend deserves a great biography, and while Curly’s niece (Moe’s daughter) did her best to amass a wealth of Curly memorabilia – a mixture of …

Top tips to find success as a plastic surgeon, according to an industry veteran

Mossi Salibian, MD

Physician

November 27, 2023

Over the past 20-plus years, I have made my mark within the plastic surgery field. I firmly believe that dedicating valuable time to understanding each patient and grasping their sense of aesthetics and beauty is essential in providing exceptional patient care. My goal is to not only meet their expectations but also bring their unique vision to life.

Since my childhood, I have been known for my artistic and creative nature. …

There’s no place for “benevolent deception” in obstetrics

Megan Nix

Conditions

November 27, 2023

When I was 36 weeks pregnant with my second child, Anna, my obstetrician noted that my fetus had a disproportionately small head, or microcephaly—a condition now commonly known because of its association with the Zika virus. “We’ll just have to wait and see,” he said, meaning we’ll look for answers if the baby is affected at birth. But when my daughter was born, there were no answers then either.

Anna was …

Clinicians’ transformative health care paths [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 26, 2023

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

Listen to conversations that uncover the unique perspectives of health care professionals and the transformative power of their work. Tamara Beckford, an emergency physician, reveals her remarkable journey from the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic to …

Let the secret out by expanding older adults’ access to PACE

Adam Burrows, MD

Physician

November 26, 2023

PACE, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, has long been considered the best-kept secret in the American health care system. It’s time to unveil this hidden gem. The health and well-being of older Americans – and the future of our health care system itself – may hinge on it.

Originating nearly half a century ago with the On Lok program in San Francisco’s Chinatown, the PACE model has since …

Doctors’ emotional struggles in the medical field

Sogol Pahlavan, MD

Physician

November 26, 2023

Most humans, especially doctors, are completely disconnected from their bodies. This conditioning starts in childhood, escalates through teenage years, and peaks in residency where we are trained to completely detach from our body. Our emotions are held in our body. But in order to survive the chronic stress and trauma of medical training, we stop feeling.

It’s our coping mechanism.

It’s survival.

Yet this is so counterintuitive to our soul’s calling because most …