KevinMD.com

Listening to pain in our younger patients

Conditions

January 13, 2022

As a family physician for more than 40 years, I have seen countless patients struggling to alleviate chronic pain, with far too many turning to self-destructive coping methods such as alcohol and opioids. Unfortunately, the struggle with chronic pain isn’t going away – and more alarming is the fact that those suffering from it are getting younger and younger. The latest data on chronic pain show patients between age 18 …

3 New Year’s resolutions that always get results

Michelle Housel, MD

Physician

January 13, 2022

In a world of delightfully fit health coaches who gleefully snack on kale chips during the holidays, I am not one of them! I like to splurge. Holiday cookies are my weakness, and pecan balls did not disappoint this season! Did you stray from your health goals? I am right there with you. But as a coach, I believe in celebrations. There is no shame in indulging in treats on …

How to end the misinformation pandemic [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 12, 2022

“The way to do this is by recognizing the power of words. I don’t mean fervently declaring one’s position and arguing why those who disagree are wrong. There has been way too much of this, and health professionals are no exception. Rather what’s needed to deliver the best health outcomes …

COVID-19 and the Tuskegee syphilis study

Bintou Diarra

Meds

January 12, 2022

Despite health professionals’ efforts at conveying the effectiveness of immunization, many African Americans remain skeptical about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Getting to the root of this distrust is critical as the Delta and Omicron variants stoke up the number of positive COVID-19 cases across the United States. And the spread of the virus is not uniform. According to the National Vital Statistics System, Black Americans incur the highest COVID-19 …

The world according to Steinbeck

Samuel M. Chen, MD

Physician

January 12, 2022

So I am on the road again — sort of. What I do is work away from home, which isn’t quite the same thing. Where I work as a radiologist is not within commuting distance, so I stay at a nearby hotel. In general, that has worked out fairly well.

Not long ago, however, when I went to start the car after breakfast, I became immediately aware of a roaring sound.

The …

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The world according to Steinbeck

Good morning and thank you for flying SkyAnesthesia

Megan Jablonski, MD

Physician

January 12, 2022

This article is satire.

Good morning and thank you for flying SkyAnesthesia. I am your flight attendant, Dr. Jablonski, and my co-pilot this morning will be Attending Dr. To-Be-Named. This Boston-based flight crew is honored to serve you.

While our Team SkyAnesthesia, or TSA for short, does not utilize metal detectors, please remove all jewelry and body piercings prior to boarding. Please be sure to securely stow your belongings in the provided …

The displacement of the health care family

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

January 12, 2022

Along came COVID, and no one was prepared. We had minimal PPE. We were told to put our N95 mask in a paper bag, use it on every patient, and use it for one full week. Normally the N95 mask would be disposed of after each patient room exit.

Health care staff was dying at the hands of COVID and lack of PPE. Over 115,000 health care workers died from COVID. …

Stress: Is it time to expose the alcohol con? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 11, 2022

“Stress is just part of the alcohol con trick. And the truth is that every benefit we have ever imagined alcohol giving us it doesn’t. It is a drug, and it works the same way as all other drugs.

Many of my clients are doctors and nurses, and some are …

The difficulty in coming home: What doctors and soldiers have in common

Susan Hart Gaines

Physician

January 11, 2022

When I was married to a physician, dinner was often delayed. When he finally came home, I was hungry if I hadn’t already eaten with the kids. Our dog would greet him with her whole body of yearning and relief, tail wagging furiously, whining, smiling, crying. She was the embodiment of what I felt but could not express. So I watched with jealousy as our dog received from my husband …

Mental health advocacy applies to physicians, too

Rohan Moghe

Conditions

January 11, 2022

Mental health has blazed its way to the forefront of the national conversation over the last decade. Increased awareness and decreased stigmatization around mental health issues have undoubtedly allowed many to have access to necessary resources, and the world is better off because of it. Influencers no longer shy away from discussing these topics, and employers are taking steps to create cultural change in …

We have been forced into a mass casualty scenario

Nicole M. King, MD

Physician

January 11, 2022

I spent the past year and a half of this pandemic getting a degree in quality, safety, and leadership. Though there were days, nights, and weeks where I simply did not know how I could finish the work or go on, I never realized how much I needed the work to help me process what is happening around us. To help me navigate my rage at the state of our …

Crowdfunding to pay health bills [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 10, 2022

“Crowdfunding models of paying for health care maximize the probability that all members’ eligible bills will be paid in full each month. These models come without the burdens of skyrocketing premiums and deductibles. Unlike traditional models, members aren’t chained to yearly contracts and have more flexibility and autonomy with …

I’m a burned out family doctor and racism is part of the problem

Morgan Lindsay, MD

Physician

January 10, 2022

Stories of overworked and burned out, front line health care workers have been in the news since early in the pandemic. Job vacancies in health care and social assistance are at a record high, according to Statistics Canada data published in March of 2021.

At the same time, COVID has highlighted the persistent health disparities between white and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) …

Do we really know why they died? The inaccuracy on death certificates.

Kenneth V. Iserson, MD, MBA

Physician

January 10, 2022

Despite protests from the medical community contained in multiple amicus curiae briefs, the Pennsylvania Superior Court recently ruled that the term “cause of death” on death certificates is ambiguous and should include any physician errors that contributed to the death — they were correct.

What they failed to consider was that, without an autopsy, the listed cause of death is often wrong, so using it to determine precipitating …

What this primary care physician learned from her COVID-19 infection

Maria Maldonado, MD

Conditions

January 10, 2022

March 2020. Administrators informed us that primary care physicians would be deployed to the “front lines” – either the emergency department or the COVID-19 wards. When I shared my news with my 21-year-old daughter, she cried and hugged me and said, “I don’t want you to die.”

Fate intervened, and I didn’t get deployed. By the time I was up, the numbers improved, and it was time to return to my …

Why you should not use BMI for your New Year’s resolution

Kara Pepper, MD

Conditions

January 10, 2022

My patient balanced precariously in the bustling hallway as she carefully removed her boots and slipped into lightweight sandals. My medical assistant offered to hold her purse and jacket as my patient held her breath and stepped onto the scale. Squinting at the numbers, my patient sagged in frustration. “Same as last year. Nothing I do ever works.”

By the time I met her in the exam room, the patient had …

The worst code I ever ran

Rehaan Shaffie, MD

Physician

January 10, 2022

There is value in reflecting on the most difficult experiences, as it affords an opportunity to examine how we act, react and change in response to the forces around us. The most difficult experiences in medicine are often not discussed, as there is typically not a space in which to begin such stories. So, without further preamble or justification, here is my worst experience in medicine, one which I’ve never …

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The worst code I ever ran

Is direct primary care the answer to insurance-based problems? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

January 9, 2022

“Virtually everyone understands the importance of major medical insurance as it relates to unexpected high-dollar care for severe injuries and significant medical conditions, but the value equation for health insurance is quite different when applied to coverage for primary care services.

The full potential cost for primary care services is neither …

The estimated $1.7 trillion legacy asset Jeff Bezos loves. (Physicians can easily diversify their portfolio with this.)

Masterworks

Finance

January 9, 2022

This article is sponsored by Masterworks, the art investment platform.

Jeff Bezos has been doing a lot of buying and selling lately.

In fact, he recently sold billions in Amazon stock to buy $70 million worth of this asset. And he isn’t the only billionaire accessing this $1.7 trillion …

Requesting disability accommodations in medical school

Stephanie E. Moss

Education

January 9, 2022

I failed my Step 1 medical school board exam by 1 point. This was very hard for me to process, and I consistently wondered if I would have passed if I had just waited an additional week. This new challenge led me to reach out to a new resource: the disability office.

Never before had I considered my medical diagnosis of endometriosis and anxiety as a “disability.” I had obviously done …