This summer, my cousin Cindy has been raising Monarch butterflies. Two weeks ago, when I was visiting her for the weekend, she gave me a chrysalis to bring home. She’d already done the bulk of the work, feeding and caring for the caterpillar. I left with a mesh-sided carrier and an expected due date of 7 days. I was instructed on how to determine the gender and that I needed …
Discover the power of patience
Challenging and frustrating are two words describing what it feels like to be a doctor today. Yet numerous physicians are sharing their journeys as to how they moved through difficult times and have been able to find joy again by practicing medicine on their own terms.
The following doctors describe how they have continued seeing patients while incorporating additional pursuits that help them feel balanced and fulfilled.
Be sure to watch their …
Doctors rediscover joy in practicing medicine, on their own terms
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Join Althea Halchuck, a patient advocate. We explore critical insights into end-of-life care, the ethical considerations around antibiotic use, and the quest for a peaceful, dignified death. Delve into the complex world of health care decision-making in …
End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]
Police officers are required to undergo second-victim counseling before returning to duty. Should physicians also undergo such counseling before resuming their work? This question arises, especially in light of the ongoing shortage of health care professionals. It prompts us to consider whether the prerequisites for returning to work are deemed more critical for police officers than for doctors. Perhaps physicians should establish specific scenarios where taking time off before returning …
Physician return-to-work policies
In a recent podcast conversation with Kevin Pho, MD, we talked about the importance of assertiveness in health care, including the ability to say “No” and the significance of culture in supporting it.
One of the topics we touched on was the influence of both top-down and bottom-up factors, which I want to elaborate on here.
Organizational culture refers to how and why things are done at work and the rules …
Communication, power dynamics, and organizational culture in health care
In May 2020, I wrote a piece published on this very website titled, “Remembering the art of medicine during virtual visits.” In that article, I wondered how telemedicine could possibly allow us to make the humanistic connection that occurs more organically during in-person office visits. Now, more than three years later, and after hundreds of telehealth visits, my patients have shown me how.
In December 2020, one of the bleakest …
How my patients’ Zoom backgrounds made me a better doctor
A phrase commonly heard is “reproductive rights,” and while there is some variability in what this entails, in most cases, this includes a woman’s right to choose not to be sexually active, to say no to unwanted sex, to access contraception, to receive appropriate and adequate care during pregnancy, and to seek abortion. By definition, rights are “a moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something or to act …
Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations
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Join Ruchi Thanawala, a cardiothoracic surgeon, as we explore the transformative power of technology in surgical training. Discover how innovation is reshaping the way we educate future surgeons, improve feedback, and address critical issues of equity in …
Innovations in surgical education [PODCAST]
When we think of symptoms or ailments, they are often a signal to us that there’s something off with our health. Yet, many of us, as well as doctors, often don’t think so much outside the traditional box when it comes to what may be influencing or causing these health issues. I have even experienced this personally in my life.
Some people may even experience ongoing frustrations with concerns failing to …
Everyday dangers unknowingly impacting our health
Just a few weeks ago, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) issued a report, “A Transformational Effort on Patient Safety.” This was both a “surprise” and “not a surprise” to me because I’m a nurse, a subject matter expert in patient safety, and a shop teacher’s daughter.
PCAST’s call for action was not a surprise because in 2023, care intended to help patients harms them at an …
A shop teacher’s daughter on transforming patient safety
During my early years as a pediatric hospitalist in the U.K. during the ’80s, a figure that loomed large was the chemical pathologist (CP).
The CP was the guardian of the laboratory, and every hospital had one. This fearsome beast was approached with trepidation, as the outcome was likely to be a unique but bruising “educational experience.”
Interaction was common because almost every lab test apart from the CBC, ESR, chem 20, …
What happened to the chemical pathologist?
The United States health care system is in the midst of a crisis. Despite being among the richest nations in the world, it consistently ranks among the lowest for maternal health outcomes—and that’s before you begin digging into the health disparities women of color face in this nation.
Pregnancy-related complications kill Black mothers three times as often as white and Hispanic women. Not to mention, more than half …
Utilizing AI may reduce maternal and infant mortality
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We sit down with Franchell Hamilton, a bariatric surgeon, to explore the intriguing link between genetics, brain function, and obesity. She shares her insights into why many patients don’t feel full even after eating, even post-bariatric surgery. …
Unraveling the complex enigma of obesity [PODCAST]
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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