Navigating life’s zero-sum game: the struggles of competitive health care professionals

Physician
March 17, 2023

Life is often viewed as a competition where resources and opportunities are limited. This is especially true for health care professionals, who must navigate the delicate balance between their professional responsibilities and their personal lives. The challenge becomes even greater when factors such as competition among family members and the rise of artificial intelligence threaten to disrupt the traditional roles and relationships that have defined humanity.

Geography plays a significant role …

Read more…

The locums industry has a beef problem

Policy
March 17, 2023

America, we have a beef problem! The inflation rate is high, and the inflation on beef is even more outrageous. At the time of this article, inflation hovers around 8 to 9 percent, while beef is priced at least 15 to 30 percent more than before COVID-19.

We are undoubtedly seeing corporate greed from the meatpacking companies as they have driven up prices throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers don’t make …

Read more…

Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

Physician
March 17, 2023

As I enter the patient exam room, the first question is no longer “When can I get my COVID-19 vaccine?” but rather, “Are you leaving? My old doctor left. You are my fifth doctor in three years. What is happening?”

Nowadays, I spend more time educating patients about the visible cracks our medical system flaunts. They were present before the pandemic and will remain as it ends. In my health care …

Read more…

The process of career transition can be confusing. It doesn’t have to be.

Physician
March 17, 2023

For physicians, the process of career transition can be overwhelming. With the potential to take you out of your comfort zone and into uncharted waters, it’s understandable why Physicians feel apprehensive when it comes to transitioning into a new role or environment.

Understanding what steps would best fit one’s situation as they progress through their career is essential for creating a successful outcome. As a coach that specializes in guiding medical …

Read more…

Breaking the cycle of misery in medicine: a practical guide

Physician
March 17, 2023

Presently, two-thirds of all physicians are demoralized and experiencing a less than satisfied work experience for a number of reasons other than it being “our fault” (please do not let them call it “burnout”). The future of finding happiness in practicing primary care medicine does not appear to be promising.

The combination of more complicated medical problems in addition to an increased volume of older patients on the horizon and less …

Read more…

Why setting boundaries is essential to your mental health [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 16, 2023

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

Our guest for today’s episode is Samantha Benjamin-Allen, a physiatrist who will be sharing her personal struggles with setting boundaries as a physician, and the importance of self-care, as …

Read more…

Canada’s health workers are sounding the alarm. We must act, now.

Policy
March 16, 2023

It is no longer hyperbole to say that we are witnessing our health system moving slowly but surely to a point where it will be very difficult to return.

Despite the weighty First Ministers’ meeting with the Prime Minister on health care, complete with many promises, health workers continue retreating from the system, as they have for the last year, in a sort of slow-motion form of resistance.

Health workers are reducing …

Read more…

Race categorizations are worsening health inequities for the South West Asian North African (SWANA) communities

Policy
March 16, 2023

The Office of Management and Budget is requesting members of the public to provide feedback on a proposal from the Biden Administration to add Middle-Eastern North African (MENA) to the 2030 U.S. Census. If the reforms pass, it would be a major victory for Middle-eastern Americans who have long campaigned for their own checkbox.

For nearly 100 years, South West Asian North African (SWANA) Americans like myself, known as Middle-Eastern, have …

Read more…

Fixing the broken system: Improving clinical documentation in health care

Physician
March 16, 2023

Imagine you found your dream home and hired an inspector to check it out. They walked around for an hour, kicking the tires on the furnace, taking pictures of the roof, peering up the chimney. In the end, they informed you they were done. You ask, “When will I get the report?” They reply, “What report? You hired me to inspect it. A report would be an undue burden.” Wouldn’t …

Read more…

Why our quest for self-improvement is failing: Uncovering the immunity to change in health care

Physician
March 16, 2023

I signed up for yet another program in my relentless quest for self-improvement (and perhaps recovery from decades of physician hood). This one features Dr. Lisa Lahey, co-author of Immunity to Change.

This is my second encounter with the book (when the student is ready the master will re-appear?) in which she and her co-author, Robert Kegan, lay out a model to uncover “the disjunction between understanding the need for …

Read more…

Report on nurses: Make the profession more visible in media

Policy
March 16, 2023

For an impressive 21st year in a row, Americans rated nursing as the most trusted profession in the country. The 2022 Gallup poll found that 79 percent of adults said nurses have “very high” or “high” honesty and ethical standards; significantly higher than any of the other 17 professions rated.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for nursing (including …

Read more…

KevinMD on the Finance for Physicians podcast

Podcast
March 15, 2023
YouTube video

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

In this episode, I’m on the other side of the microphone. I’m interviewed by Daniel Wrenne on the Finance for Physicians podcast. With reports of 50 to 60 percent of physicians experiencing symptoms of burnout, even …

Read more…

Healing through love and spirituality

Conditions
March 15, 2023

As I write this, a friend from my church is going through terrible setbacks as he awaits a new heart. He has been lovingly supported during his lengthy trials by church members. They visit him in the hospital and at home and support his wife with meals as she cares almost around the clock for her husband. His journey into medical care began several years ago when he experienced heart …

Read more…

ADVERTISEMENT

Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

Physician
March 15, 2023

For some, it may seem strange to think of the doctor-patient interaction as a relationship. In the most basic sense, a relationship is a connection; it is how two or more people or groups regard and behave toward each other. Relationships are not static – they are influenced by an ever-changing social, cultural, and political environment. They must try to adapt or risk tension and strife; the doctor-patient relationship is …

Read more…

Bridging the digital divide: How to bring trust back into the patient-physician relationship

Tech
March 15, 2023

Health care’s journey into the digital era hasn’t always been smooth sailing. While the rapid proliferation of digital health tools has produced some major benefits both inside and outside the clinic, these technologies have also created a number of new challenges across the care continuum.

From learning new workflows to wrestling with data access and integrity concerns, clinicians are practicing in a world that looks very different from just a mere …

Read more…

An unspoken truth about non-compete clauses in medicine

Policy
March 15, 2023

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken on non-compete clauses and requested public comments on this issue for upcoming hearings.

In health care, the majority of physicians have become employees, and hospitals and corporate entities are buying out most practices. As we face a critical and accelerating shortage of physicians and other health care workers, non-compete clauses increasingly limit physician movements within health care, profoundly decrease satisfaction, Read more…

Lifestyle change: the forgotten solution in health care

Conditions
March 15, 2023

Lifestyle change is a first-line treatment for many diseases. However, change is inherently challenging. This difficulty is exacerbated by a lack of lifestyle change “breakthroughs,” whereas multiple pharmaceutical breakthroughs have occurred over the years. Thus, pharmaceutical interventions are emphasized.

For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued new obesity treatment guidelines that included medications and surgery. 60 Minutes recently aired a segment with physicians claiming that obesity was mainly genetic and …

Read more…

Navigating success, happiness, and wealth [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 14, 2023
YouTube video

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

In this episode, hospitalist Miguel Villagra explores the key components of success, happiness, and wealth and how they are interconnected. He sheds light on the art of reacting to life’s offerings, the relationship between happiness and money, …

Read more…

Can foundation AI models like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard be used for automating medical scribing?

Tech
March 14, 2023

Foundation models like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard are derived from natural language processing, machine learning, and deep learning algorithms. These models use transfer learning mechanisms to convert texts to summaries. Using foundation models is becoming an increasingly important topic for health care providers using digital technologies. One of the biggest challenges in the health care industry is clinical documentation. Can these foundation models be used to automate medical scribing? Not …

Read more…

Breaking the cycle of childhood obesity

Conditions
March 14, 2023

Every specialty has its burden, and pediatric endocrinology’s is obesity. Primary care providers refer because they or the child’s parents suspect the cause is hormonal. It almost never is. The overly adipose child invariably has, using older terminology, exogenous obesity.

Traditionally, this has implied excessive calorie intake and inadequate expenditure (the “overactive fork and underactive foot”), arising from sloth and gluttony. I don’t share this belief. Over the years, I have …

Read more…

612
pages