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The culture of my health care organization is broken. Is there hope?

Physician

April 3, 2023

A strong organizational culture is considered the secret sauce of successful organizations. But the Latin term, “Abyssus Abyssum Invocat” (“One Hell Calls Forth Another”), explains perfectly why it is increasingly difficult to maintain optimized organizational cultures in health care organizations.

Hell #1: Pre-pandemic, health systems and their workers in both Canada and the United States were highly stressed. The reasons were different; the end-consequences the same. And then, as predicted, this …

Physicians cry too: 6 tips for coping with death and grief as a health care worker

Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH

Physician

April 3, 2023

“FYI, your patient died.”

This message from another physician sat in my Epic inbox. Feelings of disappointment and sadness surfaced as I prepared to start my overnight shift in the emergency department. The death of a child simplified to an Epic chat message felt eerily impersonal and distant.

Months prior to receiving this message, I had another traumatic patient experience in the same emergency department. I will never forget the feeling …

Breaking the silence on infertility: a urologist’s journey through IVF [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 2, 2023

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We sit down with Lei Chu, a urologist and author of IVF Diaries: A Female Urologist Infertility Journey. Lei shares her personal journey with infertility and the heartbreak of undergoing numerous IVF cycles. She sheds light on …

Breaking Bad: the antihero’s journey through cancer

Elaine Schattner, MD

Physician

April 2, 2023

An excerpt from From Whispers to Shouts: The Ways We Talk About Cancer.

“Walt, is that you?” Skyler asks her husband in the final scene of the Breaking Bad pilot. They’re in bed, she’s pregnant, and he’s come toward her in a new way. He’s changed, and she doesn’t yet know …

AI and health care: the elephant in the board room

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

April 2, 2023

In recent years, the health care industry has undergone a significant transformation, and one of the main drivers behind this change is artificial intelligence (AI). As the adoption of AI continues to accelerate, it is becoming a topic that cannot be ignored. However, despite its potential to revolutionize health care, it remains the elephant in the board room – a topic often …

When losing a patient is more than just a defeat: a doctor’s story

Kenneth Salu, MD

Physician

April 2, 2023

“I feel tired,” said Mr. T. Mr. T was a 72-year-old man who came to our ED. For the last three days, he had been passing reddish urine. Two weeks before this, he had a bout of bronchitis that did not require hospitalization, just ciprofloxacin. He had made a full recovery. The emergency department ordered many tests, among which was a comprehensive metabolic panel and a complete blood count. It …

What was right with me when I developed severe depression?

Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD

Physician

April 2, 2023

For several years, I fixated on what was wrong with me rather than seeing what was right with me when I developed symptoms of severe depression.

If you’re struggling, too, you’re not broken, either. What is your brain telling you?

While I am not a mental health professional and strongly advocate for people to get the support they need, as I have done throughout my journey, I share this reflection as a …

Collaborating with occupational therapists: a game-changer for behavioral health [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 1, 2023

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In this episode, psychiatrist Maryna Mammoliti discusses the importance of collaborating with occupational therapists. Occupational therapists are health care professionals who can help assess and accommodate patients’ daily activities, including work and home life. Maryna shares her …

Breaking the cycle of failure in modern medicine

Kortney West, MD

Physician

April 1, 2023

The allopathic medical system has failed me – as a patient, mother, and physician. Like many physician peers, I entered the health care world with grand visions of healing others. I quickly learned during my clinical rotations in medical school that healing (in the truest sense of the word) was less likely but that helping was still possible. So I rolled up my sleeves and entered pediatric residency, where I …

ChatGPT: the Napster of the AI world?

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

April 1, 2023

The rise of the digital age brought with it various breakthroughs that have fundamentally changed the way we live and interact with technology. Among these breakthroughs are Napster and ChatGPT, two innovative technologies that potentially transform industries. Napster revolutionized the music industry in the early 2000s, and ChatGPT, an advanced AI language model, is poised to create a similar impact across multiple …

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ChatGPT: the Napster of the AI world?

The missing piece of physicians’ financial plans

Daniel B. Wrenne, CFP

Finance

April 1, 2023

What is the purpose of a financial plan? I believe that it’s ultimately a plan for using your money as a tool to live out your best life. Financial plans done right are fantastic at accomplishing this. But unfortunately many plans are missing an essential component. I’m going to be sharing what this missing piece is, why it’s the most important component in actually improving your life, and then I’ll …

Counterfeit drugs: a hidden danger lurking in your medicine cabinet

Emily Kahoud

Meds

April 1, 2023

The timing of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s One Pill Can Kill campaign is crucial, considering the recent Carrollton teen tragedy in which Fentanyl-laced pills posing as oxycodone were distributed through a “juvenile dealer” to high school students who then sold the deadly drugs to high school and middle school students. Commenting on the dramatic increase in drugs laced with Fentanyl in North Texas, Nexus Recovery Center’s …

How understanding cultural backgrounds can lead to better patient care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

March 31, 2023

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Joining us today is Raj Sundar, a family physician with expertise in cultural humility and safety.

Raj explains that the traditional approach to such situations tends to ignore the patient’s cultural values and beliefs, with the health care …

From license to loneliness: the dilemma of retired physicians

Richard Plotzker, MD

Physician

March 31, 2023

My email delivered a terse reminder. The board of medicine notified me that they had not yet received my license renewal application, just one month until the expiration of my current license. For a mere $100, I could sit through the required online child abuse reporting course and answer the questions as they arise. My CME is more than ample, as my other state license requires far more and is …

Tackling the health care crisis with artificial intelligence: Combating physician and nursing shortages in the United States

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

March 31, 2023

The United States is grappling with a significant health care crisis as physician and nursing shortages impact the nation’s ability to provide adequate care to an aging population. A combination of factors contributes to these shortages, with consequences that can be far-reaching. This article will explore the factors contributing to these shortages, their potential impacts, the ongoing efforts to address them, and …

From hope to heartbreak: a story of loss in the ICU

Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

Conditions

March 31, 2023

Ms. Laura was a vibrant and feisty lady with a personality that filled the room. She had been my patient two months ago when she was admitted for an irregular heartbeat and COPD exacerbation. She was a smoker, and despite her heart issues, she had a strong will to live. I had advised her to quit smoking, but it was a habit that was hard to break.

When I saw her …

Unlearning our habits: a journey from intelligence to wisdom

Brian Sayers, MD

Physician

March 31, 2023

Not too long ago, I was struggling over a plate of meatloaf in the doctor’s dining room. Fortunately, the table conversation was better than the food. Somehow it turned to how early career doctors tend to mirror the culture and clinical habits from their training program and how it often takes years to unlearn habits that don’t serve us well in the long run, particularly habits related to work-life integration. …

Lessons from an orthopedic surgery journey [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

March 30, 2023

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Today’s episode features John Chase, an orthopedic surgeon and author of You What?!: Humorous Stories, Cautionary Tales, and Unexpected Insights About A Career in Medicine.

John shares some of his most memorable moments interacting with patients throughout his …

Beyond pizza and pens: National Doctors’ Day should be about saving lives

James Young, MD

Physician

March 30, 2023

March 30, 2023, is National Doctors’ Day in the United States.

It’s that one day when the leaders of our profession, at every level, take a moment and thank us for the work we’ve done. Nothing says “thank you for ensuring that I get a 4-6 figure bonus this year,” like a slice of cold pizza or donut. Currently, I work at a pretty great place – but at other sites, …

Maximizing physician potential: How coaching can aid in conflict resolution, enhance health care leadership and build stronger teams

Asha Padmanabhan, MD

Physician

March 30, 2023

Every day, in my job as an anesthesiologist, I am called upon to manage conflict. Sometimes, it’s between two members of my team, sometimes it’s between coworkers, and many times it is a conflict I may have with my own co-worker or peer.

Whether it’s because someone I supervise is chronically late or underprepared, I have to go …