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What does self-compassion look like in your life?

Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD

Physician

November 22, 2022

I’ve spent years deeply uncomfortable in my skin.

Wanting to disappear.

Last night, a wave of anxiety hit me as it often does when the world gets quiet.

In tune with my body for a brief moment, my heart ached.

Why?

I envisioned that moment when we ponder what we would regret on our deathbeds.

And I saw the years many of us spend hating our bodies.

Our glorious bodies that make being present in this world …

Think twice before prescribing opioids as a first-line treatment for pain

Gary Call, MD

Meds

November 22, 2022

Everyone knows the terrible toll the opioid epidemic takes on our society. It doesn’t matter where you live and how wealthy or educated you are, no one is immune. I watched as a colleague tried to help a child struggling with addiction, spending countless hours of worry and thousands of dollars, only to have the child succumb to an accidental opioid overdose. The emotional and financial cost on individuals and …

Why HIV and COVID-19 vaccine screening should go together

Maranda C. Ward, EdD, MPH

Conditions

November 22, 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans got accustomed to regularly answering a series of questions about our risk of exposure to COVID and our possible symptoms. For more than two years, our country remained laser-focused on this protection, demonstrating our health care system’s ability to mount a strong response to a public health crisis. So why haven’t we taken similar precautions in the face of other crises, particularly HIV?

For too long, …

As doctors, caring is our poetry [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 21, 2022

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“The art and craft of being a physician and finding meaning in our care of others are to make poetry out of our lives.”

Steven Kamajian is a family physician.

He shares his …

Letting grief make you stronger

Nancie Wiseman Attwater

Conditions

November 21, 2022

Grief is powerful and can break your heart for the rest of your life, or you can learn from it and become stronger. Losing a loved one is something that everyone will go through, but not all come out as survivors in the end. It’s part of life, but a very difficult part. Think of your loss as a lesson to help you live the rest of your life.

How do …

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Letting grief make you stronger

Medical support staff is neglected, disrespected, and mistreated

Leah Wilson, NP and Diana Lemly, MD

Physician

November 21, 2022

Medical support staff is leaving in droves and leaving patients’ health at greater risk. Calls and messages to doctors’ offices have surged as patients try to access care. Wait times skyrocket to book visits.

News stories about the current state of the health care system typically focus on the plight of doctors and nurses. Studies detail the “Great Resignation” impairing the health care industry–a new report published …

How can doctors slay their Goliaths?

Justin Berthold, DO

Physician

November 21, 2022

An excerpt from Doctor and Goliath.

We’ve all heard about David and Goliath, correct? In one of the most epic underdog stories ever written, a young boy defeats a giant Philistine warrior. But how did that happen? What tools did David employ to win his battle? Was it the five round …

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How can doctors slay their Goliaths?

How whole-person care can make us better healers [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 20, 2022

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“My lifelong quest to become a healer — over 40 years as a family physician, scientist, and researcher with the National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and the …

The slow death of primary care: a Canadian perspective

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

November 20, 2022

Loss of autonomy, gaslighting, abuse, exploitation, and hypocrisy are all strong words. Just writing them brings to my mind the harsh reality of my experience and the collective experience of others who have dared to speak up. These words come to mind when I think about primary care in Canada. I recognize similar sentiments are heralded by my U.S. colleagues and those in the United Kingdom.

The system is failing. …

Ambulatory medicine today: Focus on what you can control

Robert Murry, MD

Physician

November 20, 2022

Patient volume has recovered across the country, and most medical offices are back to a steady state of care delivery—but ambulatory care has changed irrevocably. We’ve entered a phase shaped by crisis and marked by even more intense cost pressure and consolidation. What steps can independent medical practices take now to help ensure stability and prosperity moving forward?

Offer employees a more rewarding work experience.

The great resignation—unprecedented turnover in the labor …

Why is collaboration missing in health care?

Paul Pender, MD

Physician

November 20, 2022

An essay posted by Fareeha Kahn, MD (“A hospitalist’s struggle to find teamwork in academic medicine“), raises an important issue. The problem of lack of collaboration is not unique to academic medicine. The problem is the result of misaligned incentives.

Having read the work of Harvard Business School professor Michael E. Porter, I better understand the goals and challenges of value-based care. If we look at the premise …

We’re confusing resilience with grit [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 19, 2022

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“It’s not that physicians need to be more resilient. We’ve failed to provide them with the goodwill to be human and embrace their “whole selves” (people who are resilient often but not always), access to safe and …

Depriving women of this drug is good public health

Patricia Bencivenga and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD

Meds

November 19, 2022

It’s a public health win that on October 19th, an FDA Advisory Committee voted 14-1 to remove Makena, a drug intended to prevent preterm birth, from the market. The FDA usually follows the advice of its advisory committee, and the briefing documents it supplied the committee make it clear that the agency wants the drug off the market. As well it should. Makena doesn’t work.

After a preliminary trial showed that …

Political creep: government intrusion in health care

Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA

Policy

November 19, 2022

The American Medical Association (AMA) would have you believe that the biggest threat to the medical profession is “scope creep” – the intrusion of advanced practice providers into medical practice.

The way I see it, this is no big deal; the movement will reach equilibrium, and everyone will play nicely in the sandbox.

In my opinion, the biggest threat to the medical profession is “political creep” – the increasing government …

It is time that medical societies acknowledge that pro-life views are legitimate

Anonymous

Policy

November 19, 2022

The recent Dobbs decision has led to strong reactions from many major medical associations arguing that limiting abortion options will significantly harm women with unexpected pregnancies. This needs to be acknowledged, and the desire to do what is best for women is to be commended and shows a true passion for providing what these organizations deem to be the best possible care.

However, there are many medical providers who are as …

Meet the doctor who had a colonoscopy without anesthesia [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 18, 2022

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“If you did not have a colonoscopy, I would still recommend that you do it in a conventional way and get that IV sedation. But if you are an adventurer as I am, I would highly recommend …

Digital philosophy: a critical tool for the mental health of children

David Shafran, MD

Physician

November 18, 2022

The precipitous decline in the mental health of U.S. children and adolescents has been meticulously cataloged in newspaper articles, books, and documentaries. In our own pediatrics clinic, the numbers have skyrocketed — a baseball player unable to get out of his car for practice, a teenager with aggressive behavior masking underlying depression and anxiety, and another 9-year-old unable to attend school due to daily panic attacks. Every day now, we …

Why we should end gendered titles

Deepak Gupta, MD

Physician

November 18, 2022

The question of addressing physicians by name has been addressed again. Yet the question about names has not been addressed.

Before addressing the name question, I will talk about how I have evolved with time.

In India, I have been used to formally addressing everyone as either “Sir” or “Madam” during in-person meetings and in virtual communications when I have known them — “Sir/Madam” or rarely …

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Why we should end gendered titles

I saved a baby’s life

Susan Walker, MD

Physician

November 18, 2022

I saved a baby’s life today.

I say that not to impress anyone or to make myself out to be some kind of deity but because it is simply true.

A three-week-old baby arrived at my office, gray and limp, with agonal respirations and oxygen saturation of 67 percent. My team of dedicated office staff worked with me rapidly and seamlessly, providing oxygen, bag-mask ventilation, and emergency medical services (EMS) activation. Together, …

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I saved a baby’s life

Why you should add advance directives to your college freshman’s checklist [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 17, 2022

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“Suppose you’re getting ready to send your young adult off to college for the first time. In that case, you’ve likely been spending the summer getting college dorm and apartment essentials lined up: bedding, storage cubes, first …

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