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

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]

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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 …

Leading an organizational culture change? Consider an apology first.

Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP

Conditions

October 27, 2022

Leading an organization from a culture of bullying or blaming to a culture of safety is a daunting initiative. Unhealthy alignments are deeply embedded in toxic cultures, and informal power dynamics may influence how people behave. Instead of respectful communication where giving and receiving constructive feedback is ongoing, common behaviors include:

gossip
exclusion
humiliation
sabotage
withholding

All of which perpetuate a cycle of broken trust and poor conduct.

While patients, the workforce, …

5 things I learned from Nepali health care

Simona Adhikari

Education

October 27, 2022

You must be thinking, what on Earth can the U.S. health care system learn from a poor, developing country like Nepal? Isn’t the U.S. known across the globe for its latest innovation and advanced procedures? Well, I was thinking the same thing. Until my seven-week trip this summer to rural Nepal. As a Nepali-American Emergency Medical Technician-Basic (EMT-B) studying medicine in the U.S., I learned more than I could imagine …

Want to improve telehealth? Ask people with disabilities. [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 26, 2022

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“The tech industry needs to invest in developing platforms and devices with active, consistent, and frequent input from the disability community. This input must reflect a range of individuals with disabilities. A variety of identities exist beyond …

Falling in love with the heart

David Alfery, MD

Physician

October 26, 2022

An excerpt from Saving Grace: What Patients Teach Their Doctors about Life, Death, and the Balance in Between.

In my third year at LSU Medical School, we dove headfirst into full-time patient care, taking required nine-week rotations on internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and general surgery. In the fourth year …

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Falling in love with the heart

Medical malpractice is a lot like running a marathon

Christine Zharova, Esq

Policy

October 26, 2022

A medical malpractice process is a lot like running a marathon.

The analogy makes it easy to understand why physicians are emotionally unready to go through years of litigation and often find themselves struggling.

To successfully make it through the grueling 26.2 miles, a runner has to be well-prepared.

It’s common for runners to join a running group. Sometimes, engage a coach who can help to train smart.

Runners will spend months building up …

Giving medical advice with moral values is deeply personal and takes courage

Kevin Haselhorst, MD

Physician

October 26, 2022

Imagine delivering testimony to practicing emergency medicine for 30 years on the TEDx stage and my “Real Serious Illness Conversations with Parents” being condemned with this NOTE FROM TED: Please do not look to this talk as a substitute for health advice. This talk only reflects the speaker’s personal views and beliefs. It’s as if to say, “Beware of the doc”… who lets individuals decide how they’ll die …

Meet the primary care doctor who’s happy with his job [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 25, 2022

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“There is no temptation to go back to my old life. I hit rock bottom and have been enjoying a doctor’s job. My future is bright. My income is growing. My schedule still has plenty of room. …

Coronavirus and the duty to treat

David Shafran, MD

Physician

October 25, 2022

For the first time since graduation from medical school, stirred by the courage of my colleagues in the ICUs and emergency rooms during the COVID pandemic, I looked back at the Hippocratic oath to reassess its charge to physicians. My wife and I, both doctors, studied and trained for a long time, and we considered the years spent and the effort put forth to be a calculated sacrifice. But amidst …

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Coronavirus and the duty to treat

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