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Breaking the stigma: Why doctors are afraid to seek mental health treatment

Physician

February 13, 2023

We are over 25 years apart in our careers. One of us began her medical career in a time before the internet and email. The other is a digital native. Remarkably, though, our experiences have been very similar in one respect. We have spoken with colleagues who decided to avoid seeking care for their mental health concerns. Why? Due to fears that this type of medical care might adversely impact …

Holding my Black son tight: a mother’s reflection

Margaret Towolawi, MD

Physician

February 13, 2023

In the wake of Tyre Nichols’s murder, I find myself wanting to hold onto my Black son a little tighter.

He is 7.

Young enough to still be deemed cute by some, but old enough to not be given as much grace for simply “being a kid” by others.

Sometimes I spoil him a bit more than I’d like to.

It’s only really because even though I know technically he’s a kid until age …

Unlocking the potential of occupational therapists: a solution to undertreated hand conditions

Jean Paul Brutus, MD

Physician

February 13, 2023

Hand disorders and injuries often result in significant functional deficits if not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. Unfortunately, in Canada, hands are often undertreated or treated too late, with potentially serious consequences for both the patient and society due to prolonged disability.

Hand conditions are complex and require specialized knowledge to diagnose and treat correctly. Unfortunately, primary care physicians rarely have the training or expertise to accurately diagnose and …

Finding the right balance: Fleishman is in Trouble takes on parenting in the 21st century

Eric Dessner, MD

Physician

February 13, 2023

For those who haven’t yet seen Hulu’s dramatic series Fleishman Is in Trouble, it’s really about the different forms of existential crises people face in middle age. The show contemplates the challenges of maintaining a marriage, parenting in the digital age, job dissatisfaction, and suburban listlessness, and how a responsible adult might reconcile these dilemmas and chart a new course forward. It manages to explore these weighty themes with earnestness …

Addressing health disparities to improve patient safety

Lilibeth Fermin, MD and Govind Rangrass, MD

Physician

February 13, 2023

A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

Health disparities affecting minority and vulnerable populations are increasingly well-recognized after the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Across a large number of quality metrics, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s latest National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report found that Blacks, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, …

Beyond the physical: How hand injuries affect identity and expression [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 12, 2023

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

In this episode, we’re joined by Peter T. Hetzler, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, to discuss the importance of the hand in human identity and expression. In the U.S. private sector, hand injuries were the second most …

Gaslighting and dismissal: the consequences of invalidating patients’ concerns

Lisa Baron, MD

Physician

February 12, 2023

Social media has really exposed the trauma caused by gaslighting, dismissal, and misogyny by medical professionals. Chronic illness groups are rife with posts recounting the poor treatment they suffered at the hands of doctors. Imagine presenting with extreme fatigue, intermittent balance problems, and tingling in your hands and, after a cursory exam, being told your symptoms are due to stress and to lose weight. Two years later, you are diagnosed …

A look into the safety of children products following baby formula recalls

Divya Srinivasan and Tejas Sekhar

Conditions

February 12, 2023

We previously reported about the national baby formula shortage that began in February 2022 and lasted for several months, affecting countless infants, parents, and caregivers and intensifying distress amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, these supply chain disruptions were largely exacerbated by the novel coronavirus for numerous industries, including the food and infant care sectors, thereby further compounding the already precarious situation. As a result, these industry-wide shortages …

Why Black women are dying during pregnancy and what we can do about it

Fatu Forna, MD

Conditions

February 12, 2023

“Dr. Forna, I’m not going to die this pregnancy, am I?”

“No, ma’am. You’re not going to die this pregnancy. Not on my watch! We are going to do everything we can to keep you safe.”

I’ve had this conversation with pregnant women many times in my over 20-year career as an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN). Still, they have become more frequent in the last few years as more stories of Black women dying …

Providing clean water to remote villages: the dialyzer filtration system

David A. Goodkin, MD

Conditions

February 12, 2023

Those of us who live in developed nations generally take for granted that we have ready access to clean water. Yet, the World Health Organization estimates that over two billion people worldwide must drink unsafe water. This problem is often greatest in remote areas of developing countries. Ingestion of water from rivers, wells, and other sources that feces have contaminated induces diarrheal …

Opioid addiction: Understanding the risk factors with a predictive model [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 11, 2023

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

In this episode, we’re discussing the opioid epidemic and its impact on our society. Our guest is Gary Call, a family physician, who shares the emotional and financial cost on individuals and families caused by opioid addiction …

Patients lose when states block independent doctors

Jaimie Cavanaugh, JD and Daryl James

Policy

February 11, 2023

Patients win when independent doctors open shop. More choice means improved service and lower costs for everyone. Yet states often intervene to shut down health care competition.

Virginia regulators blocked Maryland-based radiologist Mark Monteferrante when he tried to expand his independent practice across state lines. Alabama regulators stopped family physician Nancy White when she tried to offer residential drug treatment at a 16-bed facility. And Iowa regulators stalled ophthalmologist Lee Birchansky …

The ICU nurse shortage: How cost-cutting is endangering patient care

Anonymous

Conditions

February 11, 2023

Recently, I read an article by an ICU nurse that discussed the disturbing trend of replacing seasoned nurses with inexperienced ones in the name of cost-cutting. This issue is not limited to the ICU but is rampant in every area of nursing.

As a psychiatric nurse with 45 years of experience, 35 of which were as a board-certified psychiatric nurse, and a former mentor and preceptor, I have witnessed the …

Surviving and thriving: the new reality for chronically ill children

Christine Marie Deeths, MD

Conditions

February 11, 2023

My daughter was born with cystic fibrosis (CF). CF has been a catastrophic disease, historically fatal in childhood. CF is not pretty; it affects nearly every organ system, slowly and systematically damaging them. People with CF have thick, sticky mucous, which clogs their airways, pancreatic ducts, sinuses, and intestines. This mucous causes numerous health issues.

CF has been around for a long time. In the Middle Ages, a poem warns parents, …

Why reaching your goals won’t bring lasting happiness

Victoria Silas, MD

Physician

February 11, 2023

It’s January, so much of social media, news, magazine articles, and the like turns to goals, goals, goals.

Having a goal for your life is like having a diagnosis for a patient.

Now you have a direction (for healing). You know what you have to do to get there (the specific treatment), you know what the obstacles might be (complications), and yet you have to keep an open mind in case you …

Why being a perfectionist can be good for patient care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 10, 2023

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

In this episode, we welcome Scott Abramson, a neurologist with over 40 years of experience in the field. We discuss the topic of perfectionism in the medical profession, and how it can have both positive and negative …

Breaking the glass ceiling in medicine: the struggles and strengths of female doctors

Rosalind Kaplan, MD

Physician

February 10, 2023

There’s some pretty good evidence out there that women physicians provide really good medical care—in some cases, better than their male counterparts. For instance, a 2017 study showed that hospitalized Medicare patients under the care of a female doctor had lower rates of 30-day mortality and readmission to the hospital than those cared for by a male doctor. A study in Canada in 2016 found that patients of female doctors …

Health care’s future with ChatGPT: Exploring the potential of AI in medicine [BONUS PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 10, 2023

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

In this episode, we are joined by Harvey Castro, a physician, health care consultant, and serial entrepreneur, to discuss the exciting potential of the generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) in the field of medicine and health care. ChatGPT …

Focused to a fault: Medical education and how it holds us hostage from living well

Douglas Sirutis

Education

February 10, 2023

One of the head-scratchers about American culture is that anxiety, depression, unwanted weight gain, and a soaring prevalence of lifestyle diseases clearly plague our society. Yet, the primary metric we use to measure our country’s “success,” GDP, doesn’t even account for this suffering.

Society has a variety of needs that must be met to be truly successful, not just economically productive. As Senator Robert Kennedy memorably said, “GDP measures everything …

Only physicians can find the balance between tradition and active disruption

Jay Shah, MD

Physician

February 10, 2023

It is clear to most of us who practice medicine that the medical system is at a crossroads unlike any other in recent history, between competing crises of uncontrolled medical costs, escalating administrative burdens, consolidation and employment of physician practices, burnout, and the rapid development and entrance of new, largely untested technologies. I am sure that I am not alone as a physician who wonders what will the medical system …

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