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Navigating the new norm: a physician’s perspective on caring for sick patients in the age of COVID

Physician

February 15, 2023

I have three adult daughters, all college graduates. All are in long-term relationships with men, children, dogs, and careers. I am “Dad” and will always be Dad. I additionally happen to be a physician who cares for adult patients. If they are ill or have a medical problem, their first phone call is to my cell phone. If it’s not a phone call, it’s a text message. I do not …

Lessons from a civil rights icon: How to lift as we climb

Claire Unis, MD

Physician

February 15, 2023

Mary Eliza Church Terrell famously wrote, “And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition ‘ere long.”

Lift as we climb.

Terrell lived her life by this motto, as an organizer in the women’s suffrage and civil rights movements, and as a founder of the National Association of Colored Women and the …

Revolutionizing vascular surgery: How embracing endovascular techniques saved the specialty

Frank Veith, MD

Physician

February 15, 2023

An excerpt from The Medical Jungle: A Pioneering Surgeon’s Battle to Revolutionize Vascular Care and Challenge the Medical Mafia.

Still no matter what anyone said, I knew in my heart that endovascular grafts and endovascular aneurysm repair were going to be a game-changer and that vascular surgeons had to get involved …

Navigating institutional betrayal in health care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 14, 2023

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

In this episode, we’re joined by Susan MacLellan-Tobert, a pediatric cardiologist, to discuss the issue of institutional betrayal in health care. The pandemic has put a strain on health care systems and workers, leading to a term …

A dentist’s journey to improving oral health for special needs patients

Alexander Dorrough, DDS

Conditions

February 14, 2023

When I was a dental student, a 5-year-old child with special needs started coming to the clinic for dental care. I remember him as inquisitive but lacking the ability to focus or respond correctly to some verbal prompts. He would sit quietly in his mom’s lap on the dental chair, but when we approached him holding any instruments—including a toothbrush—he would fight so much that once he even vomited. Three …

6 tips to make a lasting impact in the medical field

Sharyar Baradaran, DDS and Arya Shamie, MD

Physician

February 14, 2023

We were best friends and classmates in elementary school until the Persian revolution hit in 1979. We both escaped Iran with our families, emigrated to Los Angeles, and have been friends ever since. Our experiences early in life provided us with the life lessons needed to find success, and we hope that by sharing our lessons, we can help impact the next generation. Below are some tips we wanted to …

Make Dry January a habit: Understanding and addressing alcohol use disorder

Bubu Banini, MD

Physician

February 14, 2023

The concept of Dry January, an opportunity to take a break from alcohol, does not need to end on January 31. If it does end, dietary guidelines recommending a maximum of 1 drink or less for women and two drinks or less for men on any given day should guide subsequent alcohol use. This is because alcohol use disorder (AUD) causes over 140,000 deaths annually …

Hug it out: the power of oxytocin on Valentine’s Day

Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD & Shreekant Vasudhev, MD

Physician

February 14, 2023

Valentine’s Day marks the most romantic day of the year. For this Hallmark holiday, this country displays our love for each other by spending approximately $25 billion on cards, roses, chocolates, and dinners. Why so much? WTF!

Like one’s dating status on Facebook, the origin of Valentine’s Day is “complicated.” Formal messages or valentines appeared as printed cards in the late 1700s. Today, Hallmark sells about 145 million cards at an …

Proposing solutions to end bias in the medical residency selection process

Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA

Education

February 14, 2023

Getting into medical school is arguably the largest barrier to entry into the physician profession, but it is not the only one. Previously, I covered who gets to succeed in medical school and who gets to graduate. In this article, I look at who gets to be a resident.

After completing medical school, the next step for a graduate is residency—the post-graduate training that every new physician goes through to practice in …

How can a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease help patients and their families? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

February 13, 2023

This article is sponsored by the Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning, an independently owned and operated full-service medical education company that has been developing certified health care education for nearly twenty years.

With a special thanks to …

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

Alexandra Townsley and Rajani Katta, MD

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 …

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