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We need to stop seeing patients as dollar signs

Anonymous

Physician

June 7, 2020

I am a newly minted surgical specialist, less than one year into practice. Residency was no walk in the park, but the clinical experience, along with hours of studying, reading papers, and reviewing practice guidelines, undoubtedly gave me the tools to practice modern, evidence-based medicine. As residency came to a close and the light at the end of the tunnel grew bigger and brighter, my excitement to move on to …

Health care workers in the time of COVID: reluctant superheroes?

Ankur Sharma, MD, MPH

Physician

June 7, 2020

Invisible and unassuming, the radioactive spider slowly descends from the ceiling, and before he knows it, Peter Parker’s life has changed forever. With that one bite, he is transformed from a normal man into a reluctant superhero. Only, that infamous spider is COVID-19, and Peter Parker is a health care worker during these troubled times.

It may surprise you to know that many of us in health care are uncomfortable being …

Anti-racism must be a priority for medical institutions

Alex Coston

Policy

June 7, 2020

I want to start with a moment of silence to remember so many who have been stolen from their families and communities as a direct result of rampant white supremacy, anti-blackness, and police violence: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, and too many others.

George Floyd was murdered on May 25. Protests began the following day in Minneapolis and have catalyzed a swift wave of righteous anger and rebellion …

How emotional antibodies can help recover from the impact of COVID-19 [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 6, 2020

“In my lifetime, I have encountered those who have seemingly endured far greater states of human privation than I could ever imagine (though I try to eschew establishing comparative equivalencies [or non-equivalencies] among human suffering as much as possible because such an impossibly herculean task never ends well). And what I have come to realize is that the nexus of all …

Empathy is a crucial component when working with older adults [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 5, 2020

“Empathy is more than just loving an elderly loved one. It is more than simply making the decision we may feel is best for our loved one. Empathy is different from sympathy. Empathy means putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes and making an informed decision. Empathy is seeing through our loved ones’ eyes, hearing through her ears, feeling her emotions, and …

How MOC is contributing to the demise of physicians

Torie S. Sepah, MD

Physician

June 5, 2020

Let me start by saying that I am a diplomate (i.e., “board-certified”) by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. I was completely in agreement that to display competence in my specialty after four years of residency, I should pass the oral and written exams required by the ABPN, further to prove I have maintained my skills, I have always found it …

3 enemas? For a man without a colon?

Raymond Abbott

Conditions

June 5, 2020

“Three Fleet enemas?” I ask the nurse. She isn’t much interested in a conversation with me about anything. She is busy.

“This man, so far as I understand it, does not have a colon.”

It looks to me like they want to reconnect his colon,” she says as if I hadn’t said what I just said.

“I am not a doctor,” I remind her, “but I don’t see how that is possible. Too …

Read more…

3 enemas? For a man without a colon?

Protect our medical trainees during the pandemic [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 4, 2020

“When I first heard about medical schools fast-tracking graduation for students and shifting young residents into high need areas to fight the pandemic of COVID-19, I thought of how panicked those students and residents must feel. Asking them to step in to fight a battle we don’t know how to win, and envisioning them witnessing the suffering and death of multiple …

The USMLE needs better pandemic communication [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 3, 2020

“The USMLE has failed the medical education community, and subsequently, future patients, as medical students will undoubtedly have irreplaceable damage from this experience; however, like all tests, it is possible to learn from mistakes and improve. In these unprecedented times, we as students understand the need to be flexible, but in return, we ask not to be forgotten and left abandoned …

Dear AAMC: Please limit residency interviews [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 2, 2020

“The COVID-19 pandemic has turned medical education upside-down. From exclusively virtual pre-clerkship courses, to delayed clerkships, to canceled graduation proceedings, there has been massive disruption. Now, after weeks of speculation, we’ve learned how the pandemic will be disrupting the 2020-2021 residency application cycle. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is now recommending that all residency interviews be conducted virtually. While …

Does the EMR improve or worsen patient safety?

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

Physician

June 2, 2020

An excerpt from When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error.

One of the selling points for the electronic medical record (EMR) was that it would be a boon for patient safety. Just having all the medical records in one place is a monumental improvement over …

Emergency psychiatry during COVID-19 [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 1, 2020

“The reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic in the comprehensive psychiatric emergency program (CPEP) began insidiously, with an initial sense of unease. Patients are brought into CPEP when they pose a danger to themselves or others. Often they are brought by police, but occasionally they come on their own or with concerned family members. CPEP is a locked unit, separated via locked …

How this emergency room nurse got diagnosed with PTSD [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 1, 2020

“Over a period of about two years, our city experienced a very large influx of seniors. One nearby town grew by over five thousand people. This, in turn, created a surge of patients coming to the hospital. As most were older, they often had multiple medical conditions. They would almost always require more complex care. The whole system became overloaded because, …

COVID-19 from the New York City frontlines [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

June 1, 2020

“As a physician anesthesiologist who has previously been on assignment for Doctors Without Borders in a resource-depleted region fraught with conflict, I’d like to say there’s little I haven’t seen. But now, after four weeks of staffing COVID intensive care units and emergency response teams throughout New York City, I struggle to distinguish between the exhaustion of a distant war-zone and …

I transitioned to a non-clinical career. What did that mean?

Michelle Mudge-Riley, DO

Physician

May 31, 2020

Career transition is talked about a whole lot more these days than it was in 2004. Maybe I just notice it more now. Back then, I felt like I was the only one doing it. You know how it is when you are going through something difficult, and you feel utterly alone and unsure about what you’re going to do tomorrow? That was me, only I also felt like a …

The social worker and a patient’s homicidal thoughts

Raymond Abbott

Conditions

May 31, 2020

“Howard wants to go to the hospital. He knows he isn’t doing that great. He says he is having homicidal thoughts.” This from my supervisor, Linda.

Homicidal thoughts on the part of any client get our attention, especially so with Howard, because years before, he killed a man with a gun. I believe it was in a fight.

“He wants you to take him to the hospital, Ray.”

“Sure,” I say. “You think …

Why is it hard to find a good dermatologist in a competitive market?

Dina D. Strachan, MD

Physician

May 30, 2020

We’ve all heard the phrase, “survival of the fittest.” It suggests that in the competitive, “free market” world, it is the “best” who survives and it’s “the cream” that rises to the top. But is that true for doctors? Do patients get better care when competition rules the health care marketplace?

A few years ago, a doctor from a large primary care group contacted me to give a talk to the …

Nurses deserve all the respect doctors and patients can muster

John Bishop, MD

Physician

May 30, 2020

Every year, National Nurses Day is celebrated on May 6 to raise awareness of the role nurses play in society. The date also marks the beginning of National Nurses Week, which begins on May 6 and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. In addition to the annual celebration, the World Health Organization has smartly declared 2020 the “International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife,” in recognition of their …

30 podcasts in 30 days: Welcome to The Podcast by KevinMD

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 29, 2020

The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system, but are rarely heard from.

We give a voice to those in health care who may not be famous or have a big name. …

George Floyd: Framing police brutality through the lens of an emergent public health crisis

Jay Wong

Policy

May 29, 2020

Those who knew George remembered him as “a big man with a heart to match” and a “good friend,” “good person,” and someone who “took care of people.”

Tragically, George Floyd was murdered on May 25, 2020.

You may have already seen the heartstrings-shredding video showing his excruciatingly slow and torturously savage homicide. As George struggled in his final moments to simply breathe while begging for his life, and onlookers recording the …

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