The empathy gap: How a lack of understanding is fueling poor outcomes and health disparities

Physician
January 23, 2023

I recently watched The Color of Care, a documentary highlighting the disparate and inequitable care received by Black and brown individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the movie, Executive Producer Oprah Winfrey opined that one of the primary health care issues is the “empathy gap.” Upon hearing the phrase, I shot up in my chair, as it felt eerily (and painfully) similar to what I described in …

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Gun crisis in America: Youth fatalities on the rise

Policy
January 23, 2023

In 2020, firearm fatalities displaced motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death of U.S. youth (ages 1 to 19). We long ago dramatically reduced infectious deaths (though vaccine hesitancy threatens to upend this victory), and the “big five” have been auto accidents, firearms, cancer, suffocation, and drug overdose – accidental in the youngest and intentional or accidental in teens.

Between 2000 and 2015, firearm deaths remained steady at about …

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How minimizing treatment burden can help patients with chronic conditions

Physician
January 23, 2023

An older patient recently told me that she spent 80 days over the past year in a doctor’s office. This represented over 20 percent of her life. She was relatively well but had several chronic medical conditions that required frequent office visits. In addition to these visits, she navigated scheduling, prescriptions, laboratory testing, and copayments.

Her experience is not unusual. For example, among patients with diabetes (a common chronic medical condition), …

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The power of physician-administrator partnership

Physician
January 23, 2023

Arianna Huffington recently wrote on LinkedIn, “45% of U.S. workers wouldn’t wish their job on their worst enemy. We’re in a crisis of purpose and meaning, not just burnout.”

This occupational phenomenon has also reached crisis proportions in the health care industry. In a recent study on physician burnout, Dr. Christine Sinsky reported the highest rates of burnout (>60%), emotional exhaustion, and the …

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90 days and counting: the uncertainty of being an employed physician [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 22, 2023
YouTube video

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In the world of medicine, job security is not a given. In this episode, we speak with Aaron Morgenstein, an orthopedic surgeon who discusses the challenges and uncertainties of being an employed physician. He explains the implications …

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Cancer as a model of diversity: To be an ally, ask

Physician
January 22, 2023

I was brought to tears today, suddenly, unexpectedly, by the ringing of a bell. I had passed a small sign earlier, and I knew that the ringing signified the completion of someone’s chemotherapy. As I heard cheers, I thought how amazing this group of individuals (who I could not see, closeted as I was behind a curtained space) had a shared experience of crossing the finish line.

There is a lot …

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Faced with yet another variant, epidemiologists must act more like silicon valley start-ups

Policy
January 22, 2023

With yet another highly contagious COVID variant sweeping the East Coast, it’s never been more clear that we need a systems approach to reforming epidemiology in the U.S.  Several legislative approaches, including the PREVENT Pandemics Act and public health loan forgiveness, offer a promising start, but as a scientist who was on the ground during COVID, it is clear to me that much more is needed. Specifically,  the CDC, …

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Why primary care physicians should be the quarterbacks in patient care

Physician
January 22, 2023

“There are, in truth, no specialties in medicine, since to know fully many of the most important diseases, one must be familiar with their manifestation in many organs.”
– Sir William Osler, MD.

I agree with this statement to an extent. However, I wholeheartedly respect and admire many subspecialists whom we all rely on. Disease does not usually wave a red flag and manifest extravagantly in one organ system. It usually is …

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Health care leadership: Making medicine a team sport

Physician
January 22, 2023

Americans give lip service to the importance of teamwork. But most often, we credit success to individuals. Perhaps nowhere is this “MVP mindset” more apparent than in medicine.

The brilliant lone physician — gallantly battling to save a patient’s life — is the TV-inspired image most of us conjure up when we think of the medical profession. While that archetypal hero was, in fact, the best hope for patients in the …

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End-of-life choices: Why Medicare needs to change [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 21, 2023
YouTube video

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End-of-life care is a crucial and often overlooked aspect of health care. In this episode, we speak with Kevin Haselhorst, an emergency physician and author who shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities in this area. …

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New York nurses strike for dignity and respect on the frontlines

Policy
January 21, 2023

As a PA, I’ve worked in some of the city’s busiest emergency departments. While they differ in practice styles, patient population, and architecture, they all have one thing in common: the nurses are overworked. As thousands of them go on strike and thousands more threaten to do the same, it should come as no surprise to anyone who has witnessed their plight.

I have seen NYC RNs be spit on and …

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Where have all the pediatric beds gone? The consequence of strict admission criteria.

Physician
January 21, 2023

In the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the piper tunefully leads the children astray and to their doom.

Well, the piper has returned. Actually, he has been back for several years, but few noticed. This time he is not making off with the children but rather the beds they lie in, specifically pediatric hospital beds. This was not really obvious except to pediatricians until the recent calamitous “triple epidemic” …

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Cervical health awareness month: Unveiling inequities in cervical cancer outcomes

Conditions
January 21, 2023

According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is among the most preventable and treatable gynecological cancers. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and longitudinal screening are highly effective modes of prevention and detection, respectively. While statistics on the efficacy of vaccination and screening are promising, the realities surrounding cervical cancer outcomes are anything but. A closer look at the diagnosis and mortality rates paints quite a bleak picture.

The United States’ …

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Saving mothers: How technology can aid in the fight against preventable maternal deaths

Policy
January 21, 2023

Maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the United States are among the highest in the developed world—impacting roughly 50,000 women each year and taking the lives of 700 mothers annually. Three in five of these deaths are preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. HHS) announced $350 million in awards to …

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Finding strength in adversity: lessons from a health care worker [PODCAST]

Podcast
January 20, 2023
YouTube video

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When disaster strikes, it can change our perspectives and priorities in life. In this episode, we speak with Linda Munroe, a nurse practitioner who shares her experiences and insights on the challenges and rewards of being a …

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The impact of religious-spiritual values on individual lives

Physician
January 20, 2023

A friend of mine recently went into the hospital for a surgical operation. Afterward, she told me about a conversation she had with her doctors. Meeting with her surgeon and her anesthesiologist before surgery, this retired lifelong Sunday school teacher couldn’t resist the temptation to give them both a Bible lesson. “Let me ask you, doctors,” she inquired, “who do you think performed the first surgery?” As the doctors pondered …

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The link between thoughts and emotions: How to change your feelings by changing your thinking

Physician
January 20, 2023

Your emotions result from the way you think about things. Before you can experience (feel) any event, you must process it with your mind and give it meaning (thought). You must understand what is happening to you before you can feel it. Every time you feel sad or have intense negative emotions about something, try to identify the corresponding negative thought that you probably had just prior. By learning to …

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The unspoken contract between doctors and patients: Navigating mental illness in the jail setting

Physician
January 20, 2023

There exists an unspoken contract between doctors and patients. The patient tells the doctor what is wrong with as much detail as possible, and the doctor uses their knowledge and skills to make the patient feel better. However, this paradigm does not always work.

I am a jailhouse psychiatrist, working with some of the most mentally ill individuals today. Those with serious mental illness (SMI), such as schizophrenia or severe bipolar …

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Questioning medical traditions for the sake of patient care

Physician
January 20, 2023

The United States consumes forty-six million turkeys every Thanksgiving. Have you ever wondered why? When traditions take hold in society, we start to forget why they existed in the first place. For example, the tradition of eating turkey on Thanksgiving started with a writer named Sarah Josepha Hale, who published scenic depictions of American life in New England. She subsequently campaigned for everyone to adopt her depiction of a cooked …

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