How faith-based dialogue can support vaccine acceptance

Physician
February 27, 2022

It starts with an invocation. A prayer. A plea for redemption. This is how the Sabbath Town Halls, Sufi Naqshbandi, and Bahá’í community gatherings begin and end.

Around the world, communities of faith are much more than a sanctuary. They provide a space for healing and hope. As religious exemptions, hesitation, and resistance for vaccinations and public health policies have taken on a new fervor, the critical role of faith-based institutions in supporting …

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Support groups are life-changing for many patients

Conditions
February 27, 2022

“Gimme five,” the TV doctor said to his little patient as he entered the exam room. As I watched this scene in an evening TV program, I was reminded of one of my pediatric practice’s most gratifying stories, which happened over 20 years ago.

Before the days of cellphones, the internet, and social media, I had become the local expert on support groups. After realizing how what I learned from support …

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A neurosurgeon finds another reason to stay in clinical practice

Physician
February 27, 2022

Each day I am inundated with reminders of why doctors are leaving clinical practice. My peers are exhausted by pandemic patients and pandemic controversies. They feel unappreciated and overworked doing what was originally their passion. Many feel they are part of an industrial machine, turning out widgets in the form of patient visits or procedures. They want to leave. Should I? Wouldn’t it be easier to be a dog-walker, park …

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How not to be a broke doctor [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 26, 2022
YouTube video

“Remember the things that we’ve discussed as the majority of people are broke. And just because your friends are showing off the ‘stuff’ things they buy doesn’t mean they can actually afford them.

Once you realize that everybody in the world is after your money, the quicker you know how …

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Finding joy in my forgetfulness

Physician
February 26, 2022

Someone once described war as: “Long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.”

Similar to flying: “Hours and hours of sheer boredom punctuated by moments of stark panic.”

My life is like that: Fairly mundane, routine and predictable — until it isn’t.

Near where I work is a sandwich shop. I have walked to it, but usually, under some time constraint, I drive. I have taken to getting a large sandwich, …

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Permission to burn the manual

Physician
February 26, 2022

I started planning my escape in late 2020. I would find a way to quit health care, to cease being a practicing physician altogether. Living the life of a doctor-mom, I felt consumed with daily obligations and duties.

Guilt plagued me for feeling burdened by this life, for feeling it was a monotonous prison. The guilt soon transformed to anger. I was not showing up to my life in a meaningful …

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Inhaler nonadherence and social determinants of health

Policy
February 26, 2022

Cities and urban environments tend to have large gaps in health care accessibility and correspondent health care disparities. Despite the existence of localized public health infrastructure, such infrastructure tends to be fragmented and cannot fully encompass the level of nuance within its patient population as a result. As such, health care inequities are cyclically perpetuated in part through discontinuous health systems. Smarter, patient-centric approaches are needed to move the needle …

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Opportunities from the coding changes in primary care [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 25, 2022
YouTube video

“There’s a new best practice emerging, one that lets you deliver a high standard of care today but that well-prepares you for a shift to value. We’ve been talking about it throughout this article series in terms of doing more with less and making the system work for you: it’s …

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Is it time to find a new mental health provider?

Conditions
February 25, 2022

The stress and hardship of the ongoing pandemic caused an increase in the number of adults, teens, and children who have sought mental health care recently. More than 23 million American adults received mental health care last year and the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children’s Hospital Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry warned of a mental health crisis among children and adolescents.

Of course, the need …

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How physicians can restore themselves on vacation

Physician
February 25, 2022

As the latest pandemic wave seems to be easing, I am again thinking about traveling. I love to travel on vacation. A staycation can be nice, especially if there’s a lot to do around the home, whether that’s working on my home (decluttering and organizing anyone?) or just getting all the little things done that I usually don’t make time for. A break from working, but still at home.

Those homestay …

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Pandemic behaviors, dog poop, and the social contract [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 24, 2022
YouTube video

“It is hard to understand and communicate the uncertainty that comes with evolving science, the changing recommendations as we learn more, the vaccine that didn’t do all that was initially promised. It has become even harder with the erosion of trust and civility.

Back to the poop. It stinks. It’s not …

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Are hospital CEOs responding to the realities of health care?

Policy
February 24, 2022

On December 14th, 2021, hospital CEOs met under the guise of The Transformative CEO Healthcare Summit to brainstorm novel ideas in health care and to create “a new world ecosystem.” Themes included how to utilize medical data, how technology can transform health care and expanding at-home delivery systems of care.

Leaders in health care met just weeks before hospital admissions skyrocketed to an all-time high of Read more…

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A soul that never loses faith

Conditions
February 24, 2022

I am so tired. Not in the usual “hard day at work,” but in a “deep-in-my-soul” tired. I am exhausted.

I am heading into my third year as system medical director, where I lead a system-wide palliative medicine program in rural health.

As in many rural systems, we have issues with broad geographic spread coupled with lower population density and limited resources.

But for those of us working in rural health, there is …

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How do we explain the end-of-life rally?

Conditions
February 24, 2022

Granny Rachel, my husband’s mother, was an old country soul. She was a simple lady who loved the Lord.

She accepted me with open arms when my own parents turned their backs on me.

Granny Rachel made the best sweet tea and the best homemade vegetable soup with cornbread and gave unconditional love to all.

She totaled two of her cars twice. Her son would check on her and found multiple candles lit …

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Managing expectations in the face of COVID-19

Physician
February 24, 2022

After working a 10-hour Monday, I came home and wanted to collapse on the couch. It was a typical day of dealing with more needs and demands than what was humanly possible to meet. Specifically, I was chewing on what happened at the end of the day regarding a patient’s unrealistic demands juxtaposed up against a medical system that cannot meet the physical and psychological demands of the latest wave …

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A PSA from a neurologist to the medical community [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 23, 2022
YouTube video

“Have you ever been to a new city and realized you’d been pronouncing a street or a town name all wrong? Have you ever been from one of those cities and has it broken your heart to hear someone call Copley Square Cope-ly? Or pronounce the Schuylkill River or Worcester …

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When primary care helps a psychiatrist

Physician
February 23, 2022

“Do you plan to cut down on your hours?”

This was what my primary care doctor asked me after she found me complaining about multiple somatic symptoms.

As a psychiatrist, I always took pride in how I prioritized my family’s needs and found a work-life balance. I had decided to work part-time as soon as I graduated from my training. I belong to a dual physician household. Going part-time was the best …

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Break the rules of health care with technology

Tech
February 23, 2022

In the 21st century, all but one U.S. industry has used information technology (IT) to cut costs, increase access to products and services, and improve quality.

Health care is the lone exception. For decades, medical costs have risen faster than inflation — with spending now above $4 trillion annually. For patients, accessing medical care is both time-consuming and burdensome. Meanwhile, U.S. health …

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Multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children: a pediatric hospitalist’s conversation

Conditions
February 23, 2022

Them: “I have never heard of this.”

Me: “That’s OK, let me explain what is going on. Your child has a condition called multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, which we call MIS-C. We see this condition after a COVID infection where the whole body becomes inflamed, causing fevers. You get inflammation in the small blood vessels of your eyes and skin, which is why your son has red eyes and a …

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