I like to thrift shop. Aisle after aisle weaves a story of people and their lives. Pieces of trinkets I’ll never need. But I can feel the hidden simple beauty, and then I have to have it. My children can line my gravesite with the thousands of collectible pottery… those awkward, strange gems I know I can’t take with me.
And then …
Second chances and simple beauty in thrift stores
Caregivers are arguably the most important members of a patient’s care team, with more touchpoints and access to a patient and their lifestyle than any provider or specialist. With approximately 43.5 million caregivers in the U.S., 40 percent are in high-burden situations where caregivers take on substantial cumulative physical, emotional, social, and financial strains to care for a person with a disability or chronic, complex disease. Within these situations, …
How to facilitate caregiver learning and support to improve clinical care outcomes
A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.
Do no harm. We learn this throughout our medical education and training, and in practice it is a keystone for clinical decision making. This principle continues to inspire patient safety, quality improvement, and better patient care. Do no harm also applies to …
Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care
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Join George Kerr, III, a community health advocate. We delve into the complex world of HIV management, especially among aging individuals. George brings his expertise to the table, discussing “U = U,” aging-related challenges, and the vital …
Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]
Mental health in children and teens is worsening, and there are not enough providers to support them. This is a cause for significant concern.
As a teenager who has experienced firsthand the challenges of maintaining positive mental health amidst a demanding school environment, I strongly advocate for the inclusion of mental health days as a means to support the well-being of students nationwide. May has been observed as …
A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools
The mediation was scheduled for noon. When the attorney in charge of the mediation was an hour late, his assistant began earnestly to find him. This was not typical behavior at all. A phone call to the condominium where the attorney lived sent security guards to his residence and then to the parking garage, where they found him slumped behind the wheel, seat belt securely fastened, and his keys in …
Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?
On my first day of inpatient rounds during intern year, I was taken aback when the attending stated, “Let’s stop outside the room and just spend a few moments watching the child and mom.” I started my residency on my community rotation site in Chester, PA, where several of the Philadelphia training programs at that time were sending residents. It was a nice introduction to pediatrics with a smaller inpatient …
The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation
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We’re joined by Beth Boynton, a nurse consultant and author, to discuss the critical role of assertiveness in health care. Explore how assertive communication influences patient safety, workforce well-being, and more. Join us for actionable insights and …
Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]
The concept of epigenetic inheritance is fairly recent, having emerged in the late twentieth century. Yet, epigenetic inheritance is gaining more and more attention and interest in the scientific community. Research on epigenetic inheritance continues to be published in the world’s foremost scientific journals, such as a study recently published in the journal Nature Communications. What is epigenetic inheritance, and what makes it so interesting to the scientific community?
A …
Epigenetics and our inheritance to future generations
What does it take for physicians to practice with conviction – to practice medicine with a sense of confidence and commitment, passionate about your work? What factors allow medical students to enter the resident pool each July and turn their timidness into poise? How do you learn to stand by your medical convictions and base your decision-making on a deep understanding of the patient combined with the latest evidence-based practices? …
Practicing medicine with conviction
An excerpt from Artists Remaking Medicine: The practice of imagination and the power to create a better healthcare future.
The following is a conversation edited by Emily F. Peters with Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD, practicing cardiologist and New York Times best-selling author.
On remembering
So much of what makes us human is tied …
The power of memory in shaping human identity
This is a notable example of the impactful outcomes that can arise from venturing beyond conventional routes to chart distinctive journeys toward success.
Like countless other medical students, I committed months to intensive preparation, diligently taking mock tests, revising tirelessly, and faithfully adhering to the trusted USMLE Step 2 study resources. Yet, each mock test I undertook delivered the disheartening verdict of “fail.” It was an emotionally taxing struggle, and despite …
How Tratak yoga reshaped my USMLE Step 2 prep
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We sit down with physician executive Christopher Crow to discuss the pressing issue of physician burnout and the need for transformative changes in the primary care model. Join us as we explore the history, causes, and potential …
Transforming primary care for physician well-being [PODCAST]
Older adults have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Canadians aged 60 years and older make up only 20 percent of the population, they account for 69.5 percent of all COVID-19 hospitalizations, and most — 91.7 percent — of all COVID-19 deaths.
One aspect of health care during the pandemic that has received considerably less attention is the failure of effective delirium care.
COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals
What is disability insurance?
Disability insurance, sometimes referred to as income protection or disability income insurance, is a financial safety net designed to replace a portion of your income if you become unable to work due to illness or injury. It ensures that you can continue to meet your financial obligations, even when your medical practice is put on hold.
Why do doctors need disability insurance?
Doctors, like any other professionals, are susceptible …
Doctors and disability insurance: Protecting your income
Imagine you are in a bad car accident. You are in and out of consciousness. There are lights and sirens and the smell of gasoline. Everything hurts more than you can bear. Hands pull you from the car and place you on a hard backboard with a rigid cervical collar around your neck. You bump down the road in the back of an ambulance as you start feeling like you …
Emergency care nightmare: the urgent need for experienced nurses
“Physicians have no autonomy.” I read and hear versions of this every day, expressed with anger, resignation, or both. It’s also called agency, control, and power (as in feeling empowered).
I’m the first one to admit that physicians have way less autonomy than in the ten decades that preceded this one. Moving from private practice to employed models, heightened focus on productivity, compensation via RVUs, and mergers have shifted the power …
Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.
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Join Rosemary Eseh-Logue, an internal medicine physician, as we delve into the often-overlooked topic of intersex variations in sexual development. We explore the importance of understanding intersex identities, breaking down misconceptions, and improving health care experiences for …
Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]
The Black Eyed Peas asked, “Where is the love?” and that’s what I wonder, too. As medicine – oops, I’m supposed to say “health care” – has become more and more corporate, what has been slipping away is the love. What do I mean by that? There were specific ways we old docs were trained to care for patients.
Let’s start with bedside manner. We were trained to sit with the …
I recently had an incident involving a long-time patient. This particular encounter proved to be challenging. The patient had chronic pain for years and had already exhausted all conventional treatment options. Ironically, he was otherwise healthy and fit. His recalcitrant condition made him a prime candidate to be treated with a spinal sord stimulator (SCS).
An SCS is an implantable device with two electrode leads connected to a battery-powered pulse generator. …
Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions
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