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Honor your oath. Set boundaries. Demand respect.

Physician

October 14, 2021

This morning, while scrolling through social media, I encountered a resounding theme. Multiple physicians posting about being challenged, disrespected, and made to feel worthless by the very people they were trying to help: their patients. Being brought to tears by the disrespect of the patient’s family members. Physician expertise blatantly questioned. Advice ignored.

Patients telling doctors – to their faces – that they “don’t like their tone” and then telling nurses …

A nurse’s story of health care workplace violence [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 13, 2021

“I can imagine the horror of watching a colleague being attacked. I worry about the coworker who Lynne protected that day, since being a survivor can be so bittersweet. I can feel the shock of how quickly the violence escalated, tasting the bitterness from the desperation of being so alone …

Looking at the studies behind masks

Vishwani Persaud-Sharma, DNP

Conditions

October 13, 2021

With the recent onset of the Delta variant rendering havoc on an already strained economy and weary population post- the rabid COVID-19 surge, there is much debate on effective policies that negate the harmful outcomes of viral acquisition. The B.1.617.2 Delta variant originated in India and is among the most easily transmissible form of the novel SAR-CoV-2 pathogen, apart from the Alpha-Britain isolated, Beta-South Africa isolated, and Gamma-Brazil isolated forms. …

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Looking at the studies behind masks

Sharing medical information between EHRs: 4 different approaches

Andy Muchmore, MD

Tech

October 13, 2021

The current COVID pandemic has brought into stark contrast the woeful state of medical data collection and data sharing in the United States. It has been a central goal of Health and Human Services (HHS) to at first encourage and later mandate sharing clinical data across multiple electronic health records. Unfortunately, progress has been slow and actual clinically useful widespread adoption of shared medical data remains an aspiration. Here, we …

When clinicians are bullied at a school board meeting [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 12, 2021

“The first amendment protects your right to free speech. But it does not make you more right, more ethical, or more kind. And nor does it give one license to rewrite history as has been occurring since July 27th, adding insult to our experience. Let me break this down.

On …

“Call the family. Let them know she passed away.”

Nicholas Bellacicco, DO

Physician

October 12, 2021

She was an ICU downgrade. Hospice care is what they told me. We added her name to our list, and my senior resident told me she was now my patient. I did not have a clear story. Sepsis? Complications? The ICU note was lengthy. Rounds were coming up, and I needed to see all my patients.

I went into her room. She was breathing slow. Oxygen saturation dipping. Unconscious. I asked …

A COVID long-hauler shares her story

Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

Conditions

October 12, 2021

According to the WHO, 10 to 20 percent of COVID-19 patients experience lingering symptoms for several months following infection. What we know as long COVID is now termed post-COVID condition as of October 6. Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, usually three months from the onset of COVID-19, with symptoms that last for at least two months and cannot be …

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A COVID long-hauler shares her story

How to recover from a bad electronic health records implementation [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 11, 2021

“Is your health care organization reeling from a bad EHR implementation?

There have been rumblings from hospital leadership and congressional committees about the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospitals’ implementation of the Cerner Corporation electronic health record (EHR) replacing the VistA EHR. The $10 million EHR overhaul has been controversial since the staggered …

HIV/AIDS vaccine underscores need for better health access

Alyson O’Daniel, PhD

Policy

October 11, 2021

“HIV has been a blessing in my life.”

Lola was a 48-year-old woman living in Denver when I interviewed her in 2002 about her HIV-positive diagnosis. She said the diagnosis improved her life in important ways; she had received income and housing support, nutritional assistance, health insurance, medication assistance and primary and infectious disease health care based on that diagnosis.

She said her sense of life’s purpose had changed, her basic needs …

What my father taught me about language

Sarah Fashakin

Education

October 11, 2021

Here — outside with nature — this was where I needed to be. It was raining cats and dogs, unlike the light drizzle earlier in the day.

Earlier in the day.

Earlier in the day, I could still see the casket go into the ground, adding finality to the affair as if death was not final enough. Goodbye, Baba. I was yet to cry. That was why I needed to be here. …

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What my father taught me about language

Is COVID a turning point for sustainability in hospital supply chains? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 10, 2021

“Scarcity has, in many ways, defined the COVID-19 experience in the U.S., from shortages in personal protective equipment to ICU ventilators and hospital capacity, to COVID test kits, to drugs like Remdesivir in hard-hit states. These shortages have added impetus and new dimensions to existing conversations around health care …

Can medicine transcend beyond the clinic walls? I’d like to see us try.

Kirk Heath, MD

Physician

October 10, 2021

Nothing like a tragic global pandemic to make everyone rethink their careers. This past year and a half have brought a lot of changes to the workplace. Many of us don’t want to go back to the way things were. According to a Pew Research Center survey from late 2020, of the 71 percent of employees working from home because of the pandemic, more than half, given …

The pediatricians are not alright

Krupa Bhojani Playforth, MD

Physician

October 10, 2021

In the past week alone, I have heard the following comments from pediatricians on the front lines: “I’ve been practicing for 21 years, and I’ve never seen things this bad”; “I have been called uncaring because my patient had to wait an hour. But I couldn’t tell my patient that I was running behind because of a suicidal patient”; “I’m considering leaving clinical medicine because it seems like there is …

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The pediatricians are not alright

Robotic surgery’s impact on training the next generation of surgeons [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 9, 2021

“Technology continues to evolve every day. In the near-term future, portable and easily deployable robots will allow surgeons all over the world to perform minimally invasive surgery in an increasing number of procedure types and become even more effective surgeons. To achieve our goal of having a future surgeon workforce …

Trapped in a cauldron of suffering, medical staff are weary

Edwin Leap, MD

Physician

October 9, 2021

Sometimes I really look forward to something new. An alien race arriving on earth would be a nice start. I think we could all use a change in the news cycle. Because I am very tired of thinking about, talking about, and especially treating COVID-19.

In all of my years of medical practice, I have never seen anything that taxed the system and caused so much mayhem, while simultaneously producing such …

Clinicians are diamonds in the rough

Greg Smith, MD

Physician

October 9, 2021

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, diamonds are formed deep within the earth, about one hundred miles down in the upper mantle. As you might imagine, it is quite hot in that part of the planet, and there is a tremendous amount of pressure bearing down in that location. The brutal combination of pressure and heat is what it takes to form diamond crystals.

Now, we can’t actually travel there or even …

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Clinicians are diamonds in the rough

5 technologies that will transform medicine post-COVID

Robert Pearl, MD

Physician

October 9, 2021

When medical historians write about the coronavirus pandemic, they’ll likely focus on the slow U.S. response and failures of leadership that led to a tragically high death toll. But that will be only part of the story.

From the wreckage and devastation will emerge something few contemporary observers would expect: a brighter future for American health care.

Five technologies, all previously underappreciated and underutilized, will help …

Being a health care hero means we get free ChapStick

Anonymous

Physician

October 8, 2021

Guess what, everyone, I am a health care hero. I have been applauded by strangers. The Blue Angels flew over the hospital once in the pitch of COVID to salute us. I once sifted through a giant box of free chapsticks delivered to the hospital basement and grabbed one for my colleagues.

First of all, let me clarify: There is no such thing as a “hero.” It’s a social construct laypeople …

Stop resisting the imposter [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

October 7, 2021

“The problem with feeling like an imposter is thinking there’s something wrong with it.

I know this is different from any way you have thought about it, but humor me. What happens when we are offered an opportunity but we feel like an imposter?

We hide.

We overwork to compensate.

We look around at …

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Stop resisting the imposter [PODCAST]

How to overcome the roadblocks to getting a medical second opinion

Miles J. Varn, MD

Physician

October 7, 2021

There are many reasons why you should seek a second opinion. A second opinion can help you:

Make sure your diagnosis is accurate, lowering your risk of misdiagnosis and the harms that can cause.
Ensure that you’re choosing an appropriate, evidence-based treatment that has been shown to achieve better outcomes.
Learn about all appropriate treatment options, both medical and surgical, so you can make an informed decision.

One study conducted by …

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