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Why expand telemedicine for arthritis patients?

Tech

September 29, 2022

One in four Americans carry a diagnosis of arthritis, a significant cause of limitation from basic life activities to disability. One in ten adults has to limit their activities due to pain caused by this disease. Yet, a massive shortage of specialist physicians and geographical and licensure barriers restrict access to specialized medical care, especially in rheumatology offices. Also, the cost of arthritis is 303 billion dollars yearly …

Ending gun violence in America should be a no-brainer

Kelly Chamberlin, MD

Policy

September 29, 2022

Brain matter was spilling out the top of the patient’s head in the trauma bay. It doesn’t take a neurosurgeon to know that this is not normal. My pager screamed, “GSW to head – ED Room 1.” Gunshot wound to head – Emergency Department Room 1. As the neurosurgery resident physician on call that night, it was my job to evaluate this patient STAT. I wish I could say this …

A physician’s reflections with certainty in medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 28, 2022

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“Lacking a supreme being in which to place our faith, my wife and I decided to make the most difficult decision of our lives and discontinue life support. I still wonder if we made the right decision, …

Where do trans and visibly queer people go to residency?

Miles McIntosh, MD

Physician

September 28, 2022

I came out as transgender in my post-baccalaureate years. I grew up in California and was enjoying my time in college at Boulder. Although I had been severely bullied in middle school, there were never any problems for me in the adult world.

Discrimination was not something I thought really existed because I had not seen it.

Blissfully discovering my new self, I began my social transition. I was finally coming into …

Is our health care system based on untruths?

Michele Luckenbaugh

Conditions

September 28, 2022

As Americans, we live in one of the most affluent countries in the world. Outwardly, many of our citizens seem to possess the necessities of life: shelter, food, job employment, and world-class health care. But what happens when we take a closer look? Do we see cracks in the foundation?

If we are honest, the answer is a resounding yes. When one looks at the area of health care, there is …

The slippery slope of utilization management

Sneha Tella, MD

Policy

September 28, 2022

“The patient has a severe infection of the hand and is not improving on the current antibiotics,” I explained to the medical director at the insurance company.

“I understand. However, the patient has no elevated white count or fever, and I cannot get it to meet the criteria, so I will have to deny the necessity for the patient to stay in the hospital,” she explained.

I felt my voice rising and …

We are all responsible for women physicians’ pay discrepancy [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 27, 2022

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“Take the time to invest in yourself; it is the best investment you can make. Work to improve your communication, negotiation skills, and financial literacy skills. Think twice before accepting the first offer at face value; you …

COVID-19 and psychiatric units: Keeping clinicians and patients safe throughout the pandemic

Anoush Calikyan, Hank Weinstock, and Ania Poteraj

Conditions

September 27, 2022

Patients running rampant- unmasked, hand unwashed, undistanced. You stand in the nurse’s workstation, watching the chaos ensue while holding the positive COVID test results in your hands. The world slows as you think, “How am I ever going to control this one?”

This scene is unfortunately ever present in our current health system. Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has put constant pressure on the medical system, uniquely affecting health care …

The heartbreak and joy of missions-based pain medicine: a pain physician’s perspective

Donna-Ann Thomas, MD

Physician

September 27, 2022

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

Approximately 30 percent of the world’s population reports living with some form of pain, ranging from headaches to joint pain to cancer-related pain. Unfortunately, pain medicine expertise and the medications and non-drug therapies available to relieve pain are not as widely distributed as …

We must work harder to provide COVID relief to other countries

Jordan Liz, PhD

Policy

September 27, 2022

Currently, U.S. officials are considering expanding eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine. Yet, elsewhere, people are still struggling to get access to the COVID-19 vaccine. In many low-income countries, less than half of the population is fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus – sometimes far fewer.

In Haiti, for instance, only 1.4 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated, and only 2.2 percent …

Practical solutions to prevent and prepare for hypoglycemia [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 26, 2022

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.

Visit the tools and …

Let doctors in recovery be able to recover their careers

Jeffrey L. Fraser, MD

Physician

September 26, 2022

The stigma of addiction is alive and destructive in Nebraska. I can speak to the truth of this statement because I am an opioid addict in recovery. And if you happen to be a physician like I am, you better be prepared to have your profession and life destroyed. The Nebraska Medical Board and our legal system aggressively work to punish, not heal. This article intends to use my story …

The desire to be challenged is one of the most important aspects of an effective doctor

Jack Straub

Education

September 26, 2022

Bang!

A pulsing pain surged through my head. As I floated in the water of the makeshift pond, it became apparent. I was concussed.

That day, June 16, 2018, is what I consider the most significant day of my life. For a long time, that injury led me to live in constant fear. It was unlike anything that had ever happened to me before. I jumbled my words. My movements were uncoordinated. …

The elephant in the room: end-of-life discussion with patients

Bernadette Hee, MD

Physician

September 26, 2022

I have been at my current hospital for 12-plus years now. Like many of you, I have gotten to know some of my patients very well. I have known some of them since I first started out here. We talk about my dogs and cows, our newest grandkids, and politics if we feel adventurous. This is an extraordinary relationship built on the intangible magic generated over time, known as rapport …

If you can’t connect the issues, think connective tissues [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 25, 2022

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“When Lauren came to my office as a 16-year-old, she had been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and a few other chronic illnesses. By the end of the appointment, she left with a diagnosis of …

Amazon vs. Apple: Only one will rewrite the rules of health care

Robert Pearl, MD

Tech

September 25, 2022

Big Tech has had a surprisingly small impact on U.S. health care, so far.

Artificial intelligence, for example, outperforms physicians in many complex tasks (like reading mammograms and analyzing chest X-rays), yet AI remains woefully underused. Meanwhile, many have tried to spur operational efficiency using big-data analytics, but care delivery remains as inconsistent and ineffective as ever. Perhaps the most telling example of Big Tech’s struggles in medicine: 9 in 10 …

The hidden world of chronic disease

Susan J. Baumgaertel, MD

Conditions

September 25, 2022

Sometimes hiding things can work to our advantage: an early pregnancy, a disfiguring scar, public speaking anxiety … Easter eggs! But, more often, they are just temporarily hidden from public view, and, in the grand scheme of things, it can actually be a relief when they are “found.”

Enter the world of chronic disease, and things rapidly become much more complex. Chronic disease can often become manifest without any external visual …

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The hidden world of chronic disease

My patient with an aortic dissection almost died

Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

Conditions

September 25, 2022

“I just moved here from Portland two weeks ago,” said Ms. Shelly in a weak voice.

When I walked into the room, I immediately noticed her blood pressure was 224/108. The patient was mostly sleeping, but when I started speaking with her, it was apparent to me something was wrong.

“Do you have a history of any heart problems?” I asked Ms. Shelly.

“I had aorta surgery two times…” she murmured before falling …

A 15-minute relationship fix [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 24, 2022

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“Depression involves withdrawal, withdrawal from oneself and others. Feeling safe enough in a relationship to reveal our innermost feelings safely is connective and should be considered a valued part of the anti-depressant lifestyle. Continued relationship satisfaction is …

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A 15-minute relationship fix [PODCAST]

Literacy and patients’ understanding of health education

M. Bennet Broner, PhD

Conditions

September 24, 2022

In my first bioethics class, the components of health education (HE) were just being developed, and despite the passage of time, full understanding remains elusive as HE proved far more complex than originally conceived. We learned, simplistically, by present standards, that the provider (MD, DO, PA, NP) only needed to deliver information at a patient’s level of understanding, and the patient would provide a reasoned response. The constant over the …

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