Technology disparities during cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation (CPCR)

Conditions
October 27, 2022

When we talk about health disparities, we talk about socially disadvantaged populations. The disadvantages can be defined locally if we are talking about local communities, regionally if we are talking about regional populations, nationally if we are talking about national residents, and globally if we are talking about global humans. Local, regional, national, and global economic disparities may define corresponding health disparities.

One among economic disparities can be technology disparities during …

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Leading an organizational culture change? Consider an apology first.

Conditions
October 27, 2022

Leading an organization from a culture of bullying or blaming to a culture of safety is a daunting initiative. Unhealthy alignments are deeply embedded in toxic cultures, and informal power dynamics may influence how people behave. Instead of respectful communication where giving and receiving constructive feedback is ongoing, common behaviors include:

  • gossip
  • exclusion
  • humiliation
  • sabotage
  • withholding

All of which perpetuate a cycle of broken trust and poor conduct.

While patients, the workforce, …

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5 things I learned from Nepali health care

Education
October 27, 2022

You must be thinking, what on Earth can the U.S. health care system learn from a poor, developing country like Nepal? Isn’t the U.S. known across the globe for its latest innovation and advanced procedures? Well, I was thinking the same thing. Until my seven-week trip this summer to rural Nepal. As a Nepali-American Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) studying medicine in the U.S., I learned more than I could imagine …

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Want to improve telehealth? Ask people with disabilities. [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 26, 2022
YouTube video

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“The tech industry needs to invest in developing platforms and devices with active, consistent, and frequent input from the disability community. This input must reflect a range of individuals with disabilities. A variety of identities exist beyond …

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Medical malpractice is a lot like running a marathon

Policy
October 26, 2022

A medical malpractice process is a lot like running a marathon.

The analogy makes it easy to understand why physicians are emotionally unready to go through years of litigation and often find themselves struggling.

To successfully make it through the grueling 26.2 miles, a runner has to be well-prepared.

It’s common for runners to join a running group. Sometimes, engage a coach who can help to train smart.

Runners will spend months building up …

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Giving medical advice with moral values is deeply personal and takes courage

Physician
October 26, 2022
YouTube video

Imagine delivering testimony to practicing emergency medicine for 30 years on the TEDx stage and my “Real Serious Illness Conversations with Parents” being condemned with this NOTE FROM TED: Please do not look to this talk as a substitute for health advice. This talk only reflects the speaker’s personal views and beliefs. It’s as if to say, “Beware of the doc”… who lets individuals decide how they’ll die …

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Meet the primary care doctor who’s happy with his job [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 25, 2022
YouTube video

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“There is no temptation to go back to my old life.  I hit rock bottom and have been enjoying a doctor’s job.  My future is bright.  My income is growing.  My schedule still has plenty of room.  …

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Coronavirus and the duty to treat

Physician
October 25, 2022

For the first time since graduation from medical school, stirred by the courage of my colleagues in the ICUs and emergency rooms during the COVID pandemic, I looked back at the Hippocratic oath to reassess its charge to physicians. My wife and I, both doctors, studied and trained for a long time, and we considered the years spent and the effort put forth to be a calculated sacrifice. But amidst …

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Let’s meet in child’s pose and welcome the day

Education
October 25, 2022

Anyone who has ever practiced yoga knows what that means. Child’s pose. Kneeling with toes untucked. Upper body hinged over the hips with arms outstretched and forehead resting against the mat. Breathing. In and out. In. And. Out. We are told it’s a recovery position, a safe place.

Whenever we are feeling overwhelmed with another position, or even if the position is not just clicking, we can find rest in something …

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Amazon, CVS, and Walmart are playing health care’s long game

Policy
October 25, 2022

In recent months, three of the nation’s largest retailers have stirred up a frenzy on Wall Street with a string of high-profile health care deals.

Amazon bought primary-care company One Medical in early August for $3.9 billion. That was a month before CVS spent $8 billion to acquire Signify Health and its network of 10,000 clinicians who make home visits (both virtually and IRL). A day later, Walmart inked a 10-year …

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Habits of highly effective interns [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 24, 2022
YouTube video

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“The clocks have flash forwarded, and here I am supervising incoming interns on the 1st of July (which for the past two years has fallen on a weekend). As a frenetic day has finally come to a …

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It’s not brain surgery: People with Parkinson’s need better care in the hospital

Conditions
October 24, 2022

One year ago, I had brain surgery. The surgery was a success, and the hospital stay almost killed me.

I am one in a million; one of the 1 million people in the U.S. diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a degenerative neurological disorder that currently has no cure. It is the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world, with the prevalence Read more…

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On my hard days, my patients are my heroes

Physician
October 24, 2022

I was standing outside the patient room, feeling slightly restless that day. A few days ago, I had just received some news from my doctor that I was not expecting. My mind sifted through the various possibilities and directions this could take me. When will I get to see my doctor to discuss this? What does this mean? As my brain was walking through the various unknowns, my physical body …

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A cancer patient’s last wish [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 23, 2022
YouTube video

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“I smiled, put the lamb curry in front of her, and instructed her granddaughter on how much time to heat it up in the microwave.

Val wasn’t in a condition where she could have a long conversation with …

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Adverse childhood experiences: Can government policy reduce trauma?

Conditions
October 23, 2022

One of the most radical implications of the literature on early childhood trauma is that abuse needs to be eliminated from all of our relationships: our families, teachers, colleagues, and government. When government leaders create a new policy, they can proceed in a way that disempowers constituents, or they can proceed in a way that fosters dialogue and shared decision-making. Ironically, the development and implementation of California’s policy …

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Institutionalized racism in psychiatry: a doctor’s experience

Physician
October 23, 2022

I was sitting in front of a panel of six people for my psychiatry training interview in Wellington, New Zealand. Two community members, two psychiatry consultants, and a senior psychiatry registrar, all of which were of Caucasian ethnicity.

I can recall talking about cultural differences in my upbringing and how that has helped me to connect to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Samoan culture is adherently based …

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Making it work when you’re married to a medical student

Education
October 23, 2022

My husband’s medical school offered a “key supporters” session during his first-year orientation week. Each student’s family or significant other was invited to attend a two-hour session to learn the schedule of a student doctor and for a panel discussion from current students and their key supporters.

Most people walking out of the room afterward were really nervous. It sounded like students were studying 15 hours a day with no more …

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How AI-based technology can help improve hospital capacity management [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 22, 2022
YouTube video

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“Health system leaders can master this ‘chess game’ by anticipating the next several moves well in advance with the assistance of AI-based predictive analytic tools. This adoption will lead to dramatically better outcomes than a purely reactive …

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