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During COVID, older patients stopped going to the doctor. Here’s how to change that.

Conditions

July 20, 2021

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out last year, Helen (not her real name) took all the right steps to protect herself. The 74-year-old self-isolated, wore a face mask, and practiced social distancing.

Helen stayed safe from the virus during this time, but she put her health at risk in another way: for nearly two years, she didn’t see her primary care physician. Nor did she go to the eye doctor to …

I learned the most about medicine from my dad’s death

Dr. Gleeson Rebello

Physician

July 20, 2021

I had just finished a grueling orthopedic residency. Yet once again, I was on the run and bearing bad news. I was sprinting from a well-known Mumbai hospital to a nearby hotel room. But this time, the bad news wasn’t for the family of one of my patients. It was for my mother.

As I waded through the crowd whose constant overflow from the sidewalk onto the road left a shifting …

Hypertension is killing pregnant mothers. Blood pressure monitoring can help. [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 19, 2021

“Hypertensive disorders with onset during pregnancies are among the leading causes of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in the U.S. and can have far-reaching consequences for the long-term health of the mother and child.

In Dr. Jerome Adams’ recent Call to Action to recognize and address hypertension control as a …

3 mistakes physicians make that triple charting time

Gail Gazelle, MD

Physician

July 19, 2021

Let’s face it, what’s getting most physicians down is not their patients. No, ask any group of physicians what the hardest part of the job is, and you’ll like get a pretty consistent response: It’s the EMR! With studies showing that we spend, on average, two hours on “paperwork” for every hour in the room with a patient, there’s no question that it is a massive time suck for most. …

When air hurts and becomes the harshest invader

Fery Pashang, PharmD

Conditions

July 19, 2021

Wood art

When Air Hurts
When the Lung Repulses Air
When Air Becomes the Harshest Invader
When Air Is Heavier Than Mountains

This work was inspired by my father and many other patients who were struggling to breathe. The soft, unnoticeable air suddenly becomes a palpable matter wildly invading the walls of the respiratory system, making noises and creating resistance.

A “refreshing” breath leaves the person more tired, …

Doctors and the 5 stages of grief

Robert Pearl, MD

Physician

July 19, 2021

Thanks to the marvels of medicine, newly vaccinated Americans are returning to life as normal and partying like it’s 2019. Doctors, who are emerging from the pandemic as national heroes, would like to turn back the clock even further—to the halcyon days of 20th-century medicine.

But doctors, unlike their maskless and freewheeling patients, will be disappointed with what the future holds.

Trying to turn back the clock

Physicians have had a rough century, …

Read more…

Doctors and the 5 stages of grief

The burden of the documentation and administrative tasks on physicians needs to be lightened significantly

Rosemary Eseh-Logue, MD

Physician

July 19, 2021

It takes a special person to care for people during their most vulnerable states, to keep intimate details about people while remaining compassionate even toward the seemingly vilest of persons. The white color of a physicians’ coat can be a metaphor for the purity expected of physicians. A physician’s signature or words carry weight. With such power comes the responsibility to be trustworthy.

Documentation is an important part of patient care. …

Winning at parenting without losing yourself [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 18, 2021

“As working women, we have an opportunity to be an example of living with passion and priorities, of working hard, of staying committed, not necessarily to work itself but to the priorities we set around our work and our personal lives. When we work and parent simultaneously, we have a chance to …

Survivorship bias and abandoning legacy thinking in residency

Elena Keith, DO

Physician

July 18, 2021

A challenge: Pick a time during residency training where the burden of patient care and education coalesced with scarce family time or social life, and the urge to quit lingered on the back of the tongue. Think about someone you reached out to, whether it be a co-resident, attending, mentor, and think about their response. Was it positive? Or was it something along the lines of: “You’re lucky, I didn’t …

A word of advice from one chief resident to another

Marion McCrary, MD

Physician

July 18, 2021

Chiefs, remember, one of those interns is going to fill your shoes in a few years. They may model you in that role, so you want to raise them well! As a former chief resident, I have lots of pearls for those entering residency. However, what I will tell you now is different from what I would have told you then. I have since learned that there are possibilities to …

Anti-Asian racism and how bystander intervention training can save a life [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 17, 2021

“Doctors undergo mandatory training sessions in medical school to prepare for unexpected medical emergencies. Health care workers are mandated reporters who have to undergo specific training for the purpose of identifying child and elder abuse or neglect. Bystander intervention should also be on that continuum of responsibility and training.

I urge bystander intervention …

What you need to know about the updated benzodiazepine boxed warning [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 16, 2021

“The FDA recommended an updated boxed warning and standardization of product labels across the drug class. They recommended judicious prescribing and a gradual taper to mitigate withdrawal reactions. While I am optimistic about these changes, the updated warning doesn’t tell the whole story. After reviewing the newly updated Xanax Medication Guide, I …

A morning code blue for a COVID patient

Ammura Hernandez, MD

Physician

July 16, 2021

An excerpt from An Eschatological Isolation.

At 12:11 p.m., the overhead speaker announced: “Code Blue, Three West.” She repeated, “Code Blue, Three West.”

Shit. I started my stopwatch and saved the patient note I was writing in the back office of Three West, the intensive care unit of a community hospital in Tampa Bay. Already wearing a sealed N95 mask, …

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A morning code blue for a COVID patient

A message to medical doctors who are unhappy with their careers [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 15, 2021

“This is a message to any medical doctor who is unhappy with their career. The individual reasons for this dissatisfaction will vary. Whatever the issue, it is important to ask, ‘Is the problem correctable?’ If yes, then you must act and secure your happiness. If no, you must consider other options. One …

So, are you committed to medicine — or your baby?

Eunice Stallman, MD

Physician

July 15, 2021

I had just received a call that I had been accepted to medical school, and I had immediately pulled up a Google search: “best time to have children in medical training?” I was certain that this was not how most people celebrated news of their acceptance to medical school, but this was a priority for me. A quick scan of the results of my Google search was clear, “Don’t do …

The psychological repercussions of patient complaints

Gina Ambrose, DO

Physician

July 15, 2021

In any industry, there will always be unhappy customers. Having a formalized method of dealing with complaints is absolutely necessary to protect consumers and patients. What isn’t discussed enough is the severity of these complaints’ psychological repercussions on physicians and other medical providers.

Most providers spend years of their lives in school, sacrificing family plans, social events, and sometimes their own well-being, all on a mission to care for others. Despite …

A holistic approach to health and wellness requires openness and vulnerability

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

July 15, 2021

The health care crisis is a difficult one to face. Health care budgets have skyrocketed, and rates of chronic illnesses have increased much faster than before. As physician leaders, what if we each took personal responsibility for the crisis? Perhaps it all boils down to how many people trained in health care know what is necessary for living healthy lifestyles. Yet, that knowledge often doesn’t materialize in excellent health outcomes. …

Is health care a right or privilege? The economic consequences of that answer. [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 14, 2021

“American medicine is facing an identity crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic brought renewed attention to socioeconomic health disparities and turned up the heat on the question of whether health care is a right or a privilege. The financial strain on hospitals resulting from the temporary postponement of scheduled surgeries exposed a vulnerability caused …

A resignation letter to my patients: How do I leave you well?

Anonymous

Conditions

July 14, 2021

Before I walk into clinic, I already know their response if I submitted my resignation letter today.

I hear it monthly from multiple patients who have no reason to believe I’m leaving: “You aren’t going to leave too, are you?” “It took us years to get here after the last doctor left.” “Please promise me if you move on, you will let me know where you go.”

They have baseline trauma from …

What clinicians need to know about clinical trials [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 13, 2021

“Before COVID-19, clinical research was a little-known part of health care. Despite this process being responsible for determining the safety and efficacy of all the drugs, medical devices, vaccines, and other medical therapies available, less than 5 percent of the U.S. population actually participates in clinical research.

One reason why clinical research has …

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