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What an occupational health lens reveals about clinician burnout

Mara Buchbinder, PhD, Tania M. Jenkins, PhD, John Staley, PhD, Nancy Berlinger, PhD, and Liza Buchbinder, MD, PhD

Policy

July 20, 2023

Clinician burnout is one of the most tenacious problems facing the contemporary health system. Recent years have seen a plethora of guidance on reducing burnout and improving health care workers’ well-being following the pandemic, but little evidence of improvement. Seeing the problem through an occupational health lens can reveal different solutions.

Occupational health is a subfield of public health concerned with promoting workers’ health, safety, and well-being. From …

Closing the empathy gap in health care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 19, 2023

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Nicole Rochester is a pediatrician and advocate for improving the doctor-patient relationship. She shares her personal experiences and discusses the importance of intentional human connection in clinical encounters. We delve into the root causes of the empathy …

Gender-neutral registration for unresponsive individuals

Deepak Gupta, MD

Physician

July 19, 2023

When registering individuals who are unresponsive to stimuli, unconscious, unaware, or lacking alertness, it has been customary to assign them the names John Doe or Jane Doe, based on physical characteristics, while also assigning their sex accordingly. If their family members or legal guardians arrive or are contacted, their sex is determined based on their recollections until the individuals themselves awaken and become capable of expressing their gender preferences, affirming …

From doctor’s journey in ICU to unveiling poisoning mysteries

Dr. Natasha Khalid

Physician

July 19, 2023

Through a combination of coincidental privilege, silly circumstances, hard work, persistence, and perseverance, I ended up becoming a doctor. The journey post-graduation is a difficult one, as it introduces you to a world beyond books and examination halls. It’s a world where people are in agony and depend on you for every single ray of hope—a task that is both immense and heavy on the heart.

Being a doctor who takes …

It’s time to stop stigmatizing long COVID patients with mental health conditions

James C. Jackson, PsyD

Conditions

July 19, 2023

Mental health conditions are common among individuals with long COVID due to various factors. These include the direct effects of COVID-19 on the body, such as neuroinflammation, as well as the circumstances often associated with the condition, such as job loss, reduced income, disconnection, isolation, chronic pain, immobility, and the persistent feeling of being unwell. Alongside cognitive impairment and fatigue, mental health issues form what I call the “unholy trinity” …

Innovative solutions for the growing mental health crisis in children and families [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 18, 2023

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Join Monika Roots, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and health care executive, who explores the concerning rise in diagnoses of depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems, the shortcomings of the current mental health care model, and the potential …

My experience with repeating a year of medical school

Marthena Phan

Education

July 18, 2023

On a hot and humid July afternoon, the white coat ceremony for the class of 2025 at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine was in full swing. As I walked onstage, slipped into my brand-new white coat, and accepted the coveted “medical student” title I had spent years working for, I thought about why I was embarking on this journey: my family of Vietnam War refugees, my brother who has …

An elder mentor’s message to new medical students

Brett Linzer, MD

Physician

July 18, 2023

For 21 years, I have had the privilege and honor of coaching and mentoring medical students. Most of this mentoring takes place in my outpatient internal medicine-pediatrics practice, where each student spends two to three days with me every week for a month-long rotation. Additionally, I have been fortunate enough to work with students from all years as a facilitator in the REACH and 4C coaching programs. Throughout these experiences, …

Why oncology is ripe for digital innovation

Andrew Norden, MD, MPH, MBA

Tech

July 18, 2023

In every aspect of our lives, whether it is online banking or shopping, we rely on technology to make things better, more convenient, and more efficient. Yet in health care, and particularly cancer care, that is not the case. Oncology has been revolutionized in recent decades by therapies targeted to specific biomarkers and immunotherapy. Despite being a leader in therapeutic innovation, oncology lags behind in adopting easy-to-use apps and other …

Chronic constipation treatment with pulsed irrigation evacuation [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 17, 2023

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In this episode, we delve into the serious consequences of fecal impaction and chronic constipation on patients’ well-being and health care costs. Our guest, Mahesh Moolani, an internal medicine physician and author of Tough Decisions In Care …

Why digital health startups still need banking partners like SVB and First Republic

Sunny Kumar, MD, MBA

Finance

July 17, 2023

The recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and First Republic Bank understandably spurred concern among industry and regulatory leaders about the health of the overall banking industry. Certainly, investigating the reasons leading to their collapse is important so we can identify and prevent it from becoming a larger trend.

The reason to prevent future losses of similar banks, however, has microeconomic impacts that go beyond the dollars-and-cents and market-confidence impacts …

5 tips for ending office visits on time

Jennifer Shaer, MD

Physician

July 17, 2023

The visit is winding down. You’re getting ready to go, hand on the doorknob, saying goodbye. And then you hear, “Doc, one more thing.” Or perhaps you’re more familiar with the patient who has a laundry list of issues all to be addressed in the fifteen-minute appointment slot.

These visits have in common that they are both certain to back you up. Have multiple in the day, and you are …

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5 tips for ending office visits on time

Can minors truly consent to reversible puberty blockers in gender-affirming health care?

Logan Vayder

Conditions

July 17, 2023

Gender-affirming health care (GAH) is a rapidly developing sector within the medical profession that can include indirect therapies such as counseling, direct therapies such as hormone treatments, puberty blockers, or gender-affirming surgeries. A main ethical concern with GAH resides in its use on adolescents, and this paper will primarily explore the use of puberty blockers, sometimes called GnRH analogues, on minors.

Considering that most children start puberty around the age of …

Is obesity really a disease?

David M. Mitchell, MD, PhD

Conditions

July 17, 2023

Obesity is unquestionably a major risk factor for disease and an increasingly serious societal problem, but is it actually a disease? I would argue that obesity, defined purely by a BMI of >30, is really just a number – an objective finding. In the long-honored tradition of medical science, an objective finding is not a disease, unless it is tied to a pathogenesis. For example, anemia is just a number, …

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Is obesity really a disease?

Unlocking the mystical world of medical poetry [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 16, 2023

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Join us as we explore the intersection of medicine and art. Our guest, Farid Alsabeh, a clinical psychologist, delves into the rich tradition of medical poetry during the Islamic Golden Era. Discover how Arabic poets transformed scientific …

Internship survival guide: Thriving on the night floor rotation

Farzana Hoque, MD

Physician

July 16, 2023

During my first week as an intern, a question weighed heavily on my mind: “How am I going to survive my night shift rotation?” Soon after, another question arose: “How can I make the most of my night shifts and continue to learn and grow?” I reached out to senior residents and faculty members to learn from their experiences and seek their advice.

I understand that you may have similar questions …

Insider secrets: 10 must-know tips for mastering medical appointments

Christine J. Ko, MD

Physician

July 16, 2023

Since December 2022, I have attended over 60 medical appointments, ranging from 15 minutes to as long as 6 hours. Some appointments were as short as 15 minutes, while others required a minimum of 3 hours. Through these numerous health care visits, which collectively amount to more than 60 hours, I have gained valuable insights. Here are my top 10 tips based on my experiences:

Check the location and plan ahead. …

Insurance profits over patients’ lives: Doctors battle for proper care 33 times a week

Sheryl Hoyer, MD

Physician

July 16, 2023

“I can’t afford higher,” Bobby’s (identifying information changed) mom explains when asked about his low dose. As Bobby’s dermatologist, I prescribed Accutane, curing 80 percent of acne with a six-month course. Insurance denied, requiring doxycycline. I rarely give antibiotics, following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Antibiotics build resistance and aren’t curative, resulting in more scarring. Rejecting Medicaid’s incorrect treatment, Bobby’s mom is paying for the appropriate treatment, …

Discover the power of direct primary care and patient-centric solutions [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 15, 2023

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

Join Paula Muto, a vascular surgeon, and Jeffrey Gold, a family physician, as they discuss the state of the health care system. Explore the evolution of primary care, the challenges of fragmented patient care, and the impact …

Physician burnout is a threat, no different from the spread of a virus—here’s how to fix it

Ben Kornitzer, MD

Physician

July 15, 2023

Few problems in health care are more vexing or persistent than physician burnout. It’s a problem that poses a serious threat to patient care, no different from the spread of a virus or the impact of cigarette smoke. And it has only gotten worse since the pandemic.

Burned-out physicians are less effective as healers. They don’t connect as well with patients, undermining the therapeutic benefits of a close clinician-patient relationship. They …

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