Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!
Join Dawn Sears, a gastroenterologist, and Kim Downey, a physical therapist. We delve into the insights that reveal how taking care of your doctor can ultimately lead to better care for you. They share perspectives on improving …
Unlocking better care: the power of caring for your doctor [PODCAST]
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
– Maya Angelou
Since my teenage years, I have been watching Bollywood movies of all sorts. Maybe people from the subcontinent like them because no one can relate to these movies other than them.
My favorite hero was Sushant Singh Rajput. I liked him for his personality, his sweet smile, and the genuine look he had in his eyes. When he …
From Bollywood dreams to bipolar reality: a doctor’s journey
I want to draw your attention to two fairly recent studies. One of these is the BIND study. I love it when studies use easy-to-remember acronyms because it really helps to keep them straight. The BIND study found that “Many prolonged symptoms subsequent to benzodiazepine use and discontinuation … have been shown in a large survey of benzodiazepine users. Benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND) has been proposed as a term …
Redefining medical caution: How recent studies challenge benzodiazepine prescription norms
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!
We sit down with Tracey O’Connell, a radiologist and physician coach, to explore the pervasive issue of medical gaslighting within the health care industry. Tracey shares her own experiences and insights, shedding light on how this phenomenon …
Breaking the silence: medical gaslighting exposed [PODCAST]
When you are sued for medical malpractice, your malpractice carrier establishes your duties to it, and your lawyer establishes your duties to him or her. Let me be clear – when you are sued for medical malpractice, you have no greater duty than to yourself. A duty is a commitment or an expectation on you to perform properly in accordance with certain circumstances. A duty may arise from a system …
When medicine meets law: Mastering malpractice suits with scientific methods
Have you ever found yourself trapped in a job that seemed to suffocate your spirit? The kind of place where stepping through the doors invoked an overwhelming sense of dread, and encountering management left you feeling like your kindness and loyalty were taken for granted? Perhaps you’ve experienced a workplace where basic concessions seemed like an impossible ask, and your plea for them fell on deaf ears. In such an …
I quit: resignations that helped heal my soul
In 2013, I graduated with a BSN, drawn to nursing by a love for science and a passion for helping others. The promise of good pay, job security, and growth opportunities was a marketing pitch so convincing I never thought to question it. Before my first clinical experience, I vividly recall having to attend a self-defense class. At the time, it struck me as both odd and somewhat amusing that …
Caring at a cost: workplace violence and my exit from nursing
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!
We’re joined by Jill Wener, an internal medicine physician, as we delve into the transformative concept of dialectics. Join us for an exploration of how dialectical thinking can help you navigate complex emotions, foster better health care …
Navigating controversy: dialectics in conflict resolution [PODCAST]
In 2023, roughly 2 million people will have been diagnosed with some form of cancer, and while cancer can affect everyone, it does not affect everyone equally. Women – especially women of color and women with lower socioeconomic standing – often face significant hurdles when it comes to accessing the health care they need to prevent, treat, and survive cancer.
The downstream effect
Although there have been significant efforts to address …
How gender and race deepen the cancer care divide
I read an essay advocating the disclosure of personal trauma on medical school applications as a means of overcoming stigma and taboo often associated with rape and other forms of trauma. The authors lamented that a culture of silence persists in medicine despite movements such as #MeToo. They concluded: “We, as physicians, have a duty to reduce shame to promote recovery in both our patients and in ourselves.”
Not …
Just how personal should personal statements be on medical school applications?
One of my most stressful high school class memories was an AP English class I took during my junior year. Each week, we had timed writings where we were given a specific amount of time to write an essay on a given topic. As soon as the timer went off, we had to put our pencils down and raise our hands, signaling that we were done, regardless of what was …
From timed essays to time mastery: a doctor’s journey through the power of belief
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!
Join medical student Leana Pande. We’ll explore the vital role health care practitioners play in addressing intimate partner violence (IPV). Discover how education, training, patient-centered care, and risk assessment tools can empower health care providers to make …
Domestic violence awareness in medicine [PODCAST]
In an impromptu listing of all the diseases his children had, I never would have guessed that the next word to come out of my attending’s mouth was “gay.” As an LGBTQ+ medical student with scars on my chest to prove it, this encounter only added to the collection of instances where I felt the weight of being underrepresented in medicine. Or am I?
Each year, the Association of American …
A call for LGBTQ+ inclusion in medicine’s definition of “underrepresented”
The universe can be a very confusing place.
Quite often, things will happen together or one-after-another that will cause even learned people to connect two events as causative when they are not. These misattributions are not just of academic concern. They can have real-world consequences.
In 1347, a plague began to sweep through Europe. At the time, no one knew what caused plagues, and the germ theory of disease was centuries away. …
Confusing correlation with causation: the most common error in science
I leaned over the bed’s railing, straining to hear the morphine-slurred words spilling out of his chapped lips. “Make them stop laughing,” he said, referring to the cohort of young nurses giggling around the code cart in the hallway. “I’m in here suffering, in pain, and I shouldn’t have to hear laughter. Tell them to stop. Tell their boss. It’s so unprofessional.” After spitting out the last spiteful words of …
A heartfelt plea: the power of emotions in health care
Often the key to solving a troublesome problem is approaching it from a different direction. As 19th-century mathematician Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi wisely noted (and as popularized by renowned investor Charlie Munger), “Invert, always invert.”
Therefore, when we consider ways to transform our current health care system in the U.S. to deliver more reliable, equitable, cost-effective value, we should explore the factors that perpetuate a continued unreliable, wasteful system that propagates …
How value-based care can address health inequities
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes!
L. Joseph Parker, a research physician, sheds light on how AI has been employed to target physicians and reshape the landscape of health care, especially in the context of the opioid crisis. Discover the ethical and legal …
AI’s role in health care law enforcement [PODCAST]
My overall feeling is that independent practices cannot survive in isolation, nor can they single-handedly drive the transformation needed for value-based care, population health, or to ensure that the most vulnerable have the primary care access they need. We do require financial partners and investment. However, it’s crucial to ensure that we align with the right partners who share a vision that will continuously improve pediatrics for the long term.
During …
Navigating the growing interest of private equity in pediatrics
First, a disclaimer. I do not know Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and I am not involved in his medical care. As an academic infectious disease physician, I am ignorant of the internecine hierarchy of the Defense Department. However, I listen to the news and thus am aware of his recent prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. On National Public Radio, reporters were discussing why the secretary of defense did not …
Prostate cancer privacy vs. public right to know: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s dilemma
I was recently reminded that you always learn something from your patients, no matter how long your medical profession is. I was reminded of this when I had the opportunity to treat a young person in transition. I reviewed the chart before walking into the exam room. Among other things, it listed the patient’s chief complaint (i.e., in this case, lower back pain), age of nineteen, female sex, and a …
Lessons from treating a transgender patient
Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.
