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A hospitalist’s struggle to find teamwork in academic medicine

Physician

November 1, 2022

After a couple of hours of back and forth, I can finally complete an oxygen assessment on a patient ready to be discharged home. The conversation had concluded on a somewhat sarcastic note. I was left feeling guilty of having almost coerced someone to stay beyond their designated duty hours to attain a desirable outcome for a patient. While this was not entirely true, the encounter had brought forth a …

Can the Inflation Reduction Act build back medicine better and reduce climate change? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 31, 2022

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“There is great hope for this bill to accomplish the stated goals in the medical and energy worlds. There are many excellent summaries regarding this bill, and I would urge any interested readers to find a review …

So what if cry with my patients?

Jennifer Bradley, FNP-C

Conditions

October 31, 2022

Ashley, one of my colleagues, and I discussed whether or not a doctor, nurse, or other providers of care should cry or show emotion with a patient or client. We’re not speaking of meltdowns or becoming so emotionally involved that it impairs our judgment or makes it difficult for us to render effective care, but simply being able to show a human response in the presence of your patient at …

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So what if cry with my patients?

Punishing doctors for spreading misinformation

Lydia Green, RPh

Policy

October 31, 2022

When I was in high school, I read George Orwell’s 1984, a novel about a dystopian future where the government (a.k.a. Big Brother) monitors everything the citizenry says or thinks. Anyone deviating from government “doublespeak” is swiftly and severely punished. I recall my horror as the main character, Winston, a former government official who joins the anti-Big Brother underground, is arrested by the “thought police.” His mind is then reprogrammed …

Provider me not

Earl Stewart, Jr., MD

Physician

October 31, 2022

I am not your provider.

There are days I loudly scream silently within the profundity of my soul, “Lord, please do not let them call me ‘provider’ one more time.”

I do not merely present to you to give you something you can use for your own personal subsistence.

Provider comes from the Latin verb “providere,” which means “to foresee.” Our beloved and storied profession’s effective and evidence-based practice does not merely imply …

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Provider me not

A Hungarian Jewish man’s fight for freedom [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 30, 2022

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“Despite the terror of the Soviets, it was clear that not even their mighty tanks could eradicate the social tides that now, like a tsunami, could not be turned back. The power of the movement forced Ernő …

Things to know before signing an academic physician employment agreement

Dennis Hursh, Esq

Physician

October 30, 2022

If you are considering accepting an academic appointment, you need to be cognizant of the special issues involved in contracts in academia. You must know these things before signing an academic physician employment agreement.

An academic physician employment agreement is usually light on provisions.

Unlike most hospital physician employment agreements, an academic physician employment agreement tends to be very sparse on contractual provisions. Typically an academic physician employment agreement will just be …

How you’re being tricked into buying lotions, potions, and wrinkle cream

Fayne Frey, MD

Conditions

October 30, 2022

An excerpt from The Skincare Hoax: How You’re Being Tricked into Buying Lotions, Potions & Wrinkle Cream.

Why do accomplished, intelligent women spend so much money on skincare products that don’t work? Why do they put so much energy into looking a certain way? These questions hover in the back of …

We need to stop treating diabetes (without a prevention plan)

John Whyte, MD, MPH

Conditions

October 30, 2022

The recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics on declining U.S. life expectancy painted a bleak picture, fueled in large part by the impact of Covid-19, but not exclusively. Many of the contributing factors are deeply systemic – poverty and health disparities among them — but other longstanding health issues, including high rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, are contributing factors.

More than 34 million people – one …

Why psychological explanations for long COVID are dangerous [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 29, 2022

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“Patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and their allies will rally in DC, London, and Edinburgh this September to “demand bold, urgent governmental action” for the millions of people living with ME, long COVID, and other infection-associated, chronic …

Who gets to graduate from medical school?

Heidi Chumley, MD, MBA

Physician

October 29, 2022

Getting into medical school is only the first step of an intense journey. Undergoing the admission process and being accepted into medical school can be an exceptional challenge, especially as a student of color, but it isn’t the only hurdle. In a previous article, I outlined the medical school admission process, its reliance on MCAT scores, and key experiences, which are highly influenced by unequally distributed opportunities. I also shared …

Lessons in avoiding compassion fatigue

Nancie Wiseman Attwater

Conditions

October 29, 2022

An excerpt from A Caregiver’s Love Story.

Caregiver burnout is a real and serious problem for those caregivers in for the long haul. It is a serious issue if you go to bed each night in anguish over the next day’s chores and wake up each morning with a …

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Lessons in avoiding compassion fatigue

Having more doctors to assess rare, multi-system illnesses

Heather Finlay-Morreale, MD

Conditions

October 29, 2022

From an Indian parable dated from before 500 BCE:

A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: “We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable.” So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. …

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Having more doctors to assess rare, multi-system illnesses

When patients want their doctors to heal [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 28, 2022

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“I think it’s much more likely that my patients — some of whom are terminal and facing their own mortality; others who are suffering through a multitude of side effects from their cancers or our treatments – …

Building individual health equity

Paula Muto, MD

Policy

October 28, 2022

Buying health insurance is a lot like renting an apartment. Finding the perfect place is hard, and the price is always higher than you expect. But if it is conveniently close to your employer and there are few other affordable options, you sign the lease and agree to all of the terms. Only after a few monthly payments do you realize electricity, heat, water, and snow removal are not included. …

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Building individual health equity

Stop and smell the cadavers

Randall S. Fong, MD

Physician

October 28, 2022

Medical students are an odd bunch. At least in my day. Warning: The following may seem a little distasteful, violating the doctrine of proper decorum expected of medical professionals. I feel your anguish for those bent to the more sensitive side, but to sugar-coat a narrative only robs it of its essence.

I attended the Medical College of Wisconsin in the late 1980s, so what follows may not represent medical training. …

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Stop and smell the cadavers

Beyond comfort: a treatment for OCD and a recipe for a better life

Lori Merling, PhD

Conditions

October 28, 2022

When I was a child, I recall my mother telling me that to live a successful life, you must do one thing every day that scares you. I remember not fully understanding this piece of advice’s magnitude or real significance, yet it still resonated. It’s funny, what stands out to us, what we remember, and why. Little did I know at the time that these words represented the very premise …

A C-section is not a defeat

Carrye Daum, MD

Conditions

October 28, 2022

“It was a cold night in October …”

I can now joke about that night with my husband and my best friend from OB/GYN residency. I had worked a Saturday 24-hour call shift, and as soon as I got home on Sunday morning, I began having symptoms that made me turn around and head right back to the labor and delivery unit …

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A C-section is not a defeat

Giving language to empathy: lessons from palliative care [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 27, 2022

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“The value of empathy in medicine is seldom debated. Just as the art of medicine is taught as the balance of knowledge and application, so has empathy been recognized as both a value to be fostered and …

Technology disparities during cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation (CPCR)

Deepak Gupta, MD

Conditions

October 27, 2022

When we talk about health disparities, we talk about socially disadvantaged populations. The disadvantages can be defined locally if we are talking about local communities, regionally if we are talking about regional populations, nationally if we are talking about national residents, and globally if we are talking about global humans. Local, regional, national, and global economic disparities may define corresponding health disparities.

One among economic disparities can be technology disparities during …