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Poverty: America’s disease with devastating consequences

Policy

April 29, 2023

I need to tell you about John (not his real name). He is a Cameroonian immigrant who came to the U.S. on a student visa. He waited tables in a popular pub in downtown Houston to earn a little change and support himself through school. Hardworking, courteous, and gregarious, John wears the most infectious and charming smile you have ever seen.

It didn’t take long for him to get noticed by …

From patient to protagonist: the importance of narrative writing in medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 28, 2023

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Join us in this episode as we sit down with Najat Fadlallah, a pediatric resident in Lebanon, to discuss the untapped potential of health care data and personal experiences in medical research. We’ll explore how health care …

Are doctors ready to discuss psychedelic therapies with patients?

Thaís Salles Araujo, MD

Meds

April 28, 2023

As I’m pre-charting for my primary care clinic, I see Ms. C on the schedule, whom I know well through our nearly monthly follow-up visits over the past two and a half years of residency. We talk in Spanish as it’s her preferred language. She shares her escalating distress over being an immigrant, a full-time caregiver for her dad with advancing dementia and three kids, and current marital issues while …

The unintended consequences of feeding company data into ChatGPT: a guide to safeguarding your intellectual property

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

April 28, 2023

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, businesses are increasingly integrating AI-powered tools, such as ChatGPT by OpenAI, to enhance productivity and automate processes. However, using these tools without understanding the implications of feeding proprietary data into them can lead to unintended consequences, as demonstrated by the recent Samsung incident.

The Samsung incident and other examples

Samsung allowed their staff to use ChatGPT to improve their coding skills. Unfortunately, employees input proprietary code …

Obesity increased over COVID-19: Here’s why patients are worried

Shanu N. Kothari, MD

Conditions

April 28, 2023

Millions of Americans are more worried than ever about obesity. And millions are willing to consider weight-loss methods they never had before, including metabolic and bariatric surgery and anti-obesity medications. The reason: a pandemic that put those with obesity in its crosshairs. These are among the findings from a recent survey from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and NORC, an independent research organization.

Fears …

Doctors and nurses are dying by suicide, as America’s health care workers call for change

Jessica Singh, MD and Lorenzo Norris, MD

Physician

April 28, 2023

In the spring of 2020, as COVID-19 swept through hospitals in the tri-state area, Dr. Lorna Breen, a physician who served as the medical director of the emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, contracted COVID while caring for patients. Shortly after returning to work under relentlessly overwhelming circumstances, she died by suicide.

Dr. Breen had no prior mental health conditions.

As her story made national headlines, Dr. Breen’s death became …

From helplessness to hope: a psychiatrist’s story of working with suicidal teens [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 27, 2023

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In this episode, we are joined by Shivana Naidoo, a child psychiatrist, who shares a poignant reflection on her experiences with some of her most worrisome teenage patients. As she prepares to leave her job, she finds …

America’s ailing health care system: How it’s failing patients and doctors

Jen Baker-Porazinski, MD

Policy

April 27, 2023

As painfully revealed by the coronavirus pandemic, the American health care system is ailing, plagued by the inefficiencies and greed of big business and for-profit medicine. It is not unlike the virus, attacking vital organs one by one until the whole is weakened. In more grave cases, the severely ill can’t survive. In much the same way our health care system is killing Americans. The sickness is proving incurable, for …

Revolutionizing crime-solving with AI: How ChatGPT-4 can unlock critical evidence in unsolved cases

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

April 27, 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly advanced in various fields, including health care, finance, and education. One of the most promising areas for AI application is criminology, which has the potential to transform how criminal investigations are conducted. The groundbreaking capabilities of ChatGPT-4 have the potential to revolutionize criminology by aiding forensic science, crime scene analysis, and criminal investigations in medical and non-medical …

Why HIPAA isn’t enough to protect your health data

Brian R. Jackson, MD

Policy

April 27, 2023

After all the hours spent in HIPAA training over the years, physicians and other health care workers might think of HIPAA as a powerful regulation. It’s true that HIPAA does require health care workers to follow a number of rules, with pretty harsh penalties for violations. But from a patient’s perspective, how well does U.S. law protect overall health information privacy? Unfortunately, not very well, and things are getting worse.

The …

The struggle of internationally trained physicians in Canada

Dr. Irma Faruqi

Physician

April 27, 2023

I moved to Ontario, Canada, a little less than a year ago, with a sense of adventure and a spring in my step. I was excited at the thought of being reunited with family, apprehensive about the hurdles in my path to becoming a practicing physician, but hopeful that there would be light at the end of the tunnel. There had to be.

I had been chief resident at an ACGME-accredited …

Ensuring fair compensation and benefits in physician contracts [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 26, 2023

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In this episode, we discuss the important factors that physicians need to consider when reviewing their employment contracts with guest Dennis Hursh, a physician contract attorney. From compensation to benefits, we dive into the details of what …

A pediatrician’s view on critical self-talk among patients and doctors

Eliza Humphreys, MD

Physician

April 26, 2023

A young teen patient, eyes averted, clutching a cell phone, sits in my office. It’s a scheduled annual exam, and the patient reports some ailments—fatigue, anxiety, and poor sleep. Across the room, the parent sits in apparent composure, but as my eyes meet the parent’s gaze and hover here for an instant, I register pain, frustration, and desperation. The patient’s symptoms are not new, and there may have been calls …

Revolutionizing patient care: the power of AI and GPTs in health care and combating physician burnout

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

April 26, 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs) have made significant advancements in recent years, with potential applications in various industries. The health care sector stands to benefit significantly from AI and GPTs, as they offer promising solutions for improving patient care, diagnostics, and treatment. This article will discuss the role of leading AI models like Copilot Bing, Bard, BioGPT, GatorTron, and …

What I’ve learned from 10,000 needle procedures

Dr. Evelyn Chan

Tech

April 26, 2023

How can health care professionals put patients at ease before and during stressful procedures? A new virtual reality (VR) technology might be the answer for millions of patients with fears and concerns about visiting the clinic.

Needles are the most common office procedure, and needle fear is nearly universal in young children. Studies show nearly two-thirds of children and one-fourth of adults have a fear of needles. Poorly managed …

Why poor diets are contributing to a surge in colorectal cancer cases among young people

Victoria Othersen, DO

Conditions

April 26, 2023

An alarming trend has emerged in my medical practice in recent years: I’m seeing more and more young adults with colorectal cancer.

When I began practicing as a family physician 21 years ago, I never saw patients in their 40s and 50s with the disease, much less ones in their 30s. Now, I diagnose two to three people in those age groups every year.

On the heels of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness …

From reincarnation to meridians: Exploring the world of spiritual science [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 25, 2023

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Join us on this episode of the podcast, where we speak with Marc Nelson, a scientific researcher, about the growing field of spiritual science. Despite the historical divide between science and spirituality, Nelson shares how pioneering work …

The secret side of a brilliant ICU physician revealed

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

April 25, 2023

As I look at his obituary pictures, I can’t help but feel a sense of longing. I wish I could have known him – that other side of him that his family, friends, and colleagues are sharing in their photos. They’re all smiling and laughing, hugging each other, and radiating a genuine sense of happiness.

He was one of our main ICU physicians, a brilliant man who could meticulously turn a …

5 pieces of advice every young doctor needs to hear

Sapana Adhikari, MD

Physician

April 25, 2023

As I finish my 21st year of clinical practice, I have been reflecting a lot about my career. Several friends asked me for advice as their children begin medical school. Instead of repeating myself, I decided to make a list. Here are the five things I would tell my younger self.

1. Just apply. Recently, I attended a luncheon and sat next to a female physician. I hadn’t met …

The truth about hard cases and abortion: Separating fact from fiction

Michael McCutchen, MD, MBA

Physician

April 25, 2023

Though celebrated by anti-abortion advocates across the country, the overturning of Roe v. Wade by no means closed the book on the abortion debate. However, it was a victory for both human rights and federalism. The decision reinforced that the U.S. is a constitutional republic composed of individual states, each with its own agenda. States are now individually empowered to enact abortion legislation anywhere along the human gestation cycle. As …

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