To care or not to care: reflections on treating incarcerated patients

Education
October 17, 2024

In medical school, we are taught that the well-being of the patient is our highest priority. This principle is central to our training, constantly reinforced through lectures, simulations, and clinical experiences. However, this notion was challenged in an unexpected way when I found myself caring for an incarcerated patient.

The start of the interaction was unsettling. As I approached the patient’s room, I hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. Should I …

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Why collaboration is the key to solving health care burnout [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 16, 2024
YouTube video

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We’re joined by Wael Saasouh, an anesthesiologist; Lisa Scardina, a health care executive; and Kim Downey, a physician advocate and physical therapist, to discuss the urgent need to restore human connections in health …

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Hospitals should recognize and address administrative harm

Policy
October 16, 2024

“Administrative harm is destroying American medicine” is the title of a provocative article published in the July 13, 2024, issue of KevinMD by Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA. He references business entrepreneur and billionaire Michael B. Kim, who said: “Leadership without ethics is a body without a soul.” As examples of administrative harms, Dr. Lazarus cites “unrealistic staffing models, burdensome regulations, out-of-touch administrators, lack of frank feedback to leaders, and …

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Understanding and supporting loved ones with celiac disease: a guide from 2 gastroenterologists

Conditions
October 16, 2024

Living with celiac disease can be a profound challenge, not just for those diagnosed but also for their friends and family. A strict gluten-free lifestyle is essential, and providing thoughtful, informed support can significantly improve the quality of life for someone with celiac disease. September 13 is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day, and as gastroenterologists, we want to share how you can be a source of strength and comfort in …

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Why calling nurse practitioners “doctor” undermines the nursing profession [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 15, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us for an enlightening conversation with Joseph Lanctot, a nurse practitioner, as he explores the significance of professional identity in healthcare. Joseph shares his personal experiences of being mislabelled as a doctor …

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Stop calling me “doctor”: the nurse practitioner’s fight for recognition

Conditions
October 15, 2024

I introduce myself to the patients as a nurse practitioner (NP), but they still call me a doctor. Even worse, some of the staff refer to me as “doctor.” I imagine they do so out of respect, but no matter how many times I correct them, the erroneous title lives on. The reason I ask not to be called doctor is not because I have not earned my doctorate nor …

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A doctor’s pandemic playlist

Physician
October 15, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic was war, and I served in a foxhole. I survived, in part, by drowning my sorrow in song—music I abused as if it were drugs. I heard “Spaceman” by Nick Jonas today while driving to the hospital, and, at the peak of the chorus, dopamine surged in my brain, making me queasy. My neck hair stood up, and I went clammy. This was not a monstrous rush …

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From patients to clients: the tragic business of mental health care explained [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 14, 2024
YouTube video

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We sit down with Nicholas Rosenlicht, psychiatrist and author of My Brother’s Keeper: The Untold Stories Behind the Business of Mental Health―and How to Stop the Abandonment of the Mentally Ill. Nicholas unpacks …

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Towards a future for semi-autonomous AI-powered primary care providers

Tech
October 14, 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 4.5 billion people do not have access to primary care. In the US alone, the American Medical Association (AMA) claims 83 million Americans do not have access, and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) puts the number even higher at one-third of the US population or over 100 million, including many children (NACHC).

Since losing my brother, a cardiologist, to a misdiagnosis …

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The dangerous shift in mental health: Are we clients or patients?

Physician
October 14, 2024

An excerpt from My Brother’s Keeper: The Untold Stories Behind the Business of Mental Health―and How to Stop the Abandonment of the Mentally Ill.

Throughout history, civilized societies have recognized the vulnerability and suffering of the ill and accordingly granted them special rights and protections, as well as a unique designation: “patient.” This is changing. In the 1990s, when I was involved in negotiating managed care contracts for a community …

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The hidden medication putting Parkinson’s patients at risk

Meds
October 14, 2024

At the doctor’s office, in the ER, in the hospital, how many times are you asked about your drug allergies? A lot! And, as a common practice when in the hospital, you’ll even get a red bracelet or something to indicate such. There are strict rules around allergies; from techs to transport to MDs, hospital staff are well-trained to look for these bracelets and to make sure that you don’t …

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How food marketing to kids is harming their health and what we can do [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 13, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Manuel Arango, the director of Health Policy & Advocacy at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. We dive into the pressing issue of food marketing to children, exploring how these strategies …

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The overwhelming reality of primary care: Why doctors still persevere

Physician
October 13, 2024

I’m primary care and I see a patient in a 10-minute appointment who tells me she now has a disabled daughter who is 22, had a stroke, and currently cannot cope with all that her disrupted life is demanding of her. I am also expected to fill out that FMLA paperwork for that patient and respond to 20 back-and-forth portal messages on that same patient over the next two days, …

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Nurse practitioner hit with $1.4m verdict: the hidden truth behind the lawsuit

Physician
October 13, 2024

In the August 2023 issue of MD Linx, Stephanie Srakocic writes about a Philadelphia jury that awards a $1.4 million verdict against a nurse practitioner for failing to treat hyperthyroidism. The patient, who is hyperthyroid, is admitted to the hospital for acute abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. The patient subsequently dies. The implication is that the patient is under the care of a nurse practitioner, and there is no …

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The enduring cycle of violence: lessons from history’s darkest moments

Physician
October 13, 2024

Ecclesiastes was probably written by many ancient scholars, although Jewish tradition holds that it was written by King Solomon. Whatever the provenance, I think the first chapter holds a nugget of wisdom that we need to try hard to remember:

What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, …

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The deadliest condition in emergency departments deserves a new diagnostic approach

Conditions
October 13, 2024

Today, most emergency departments (EDs) face overcrowding, high patient volumes and a strain on our increasingly limited staff and resources. As a result, the average patient experiences ED wait times of about two-and-a-half hours, with some reaching nearly four hours.

The possibility of sepsis makes these delays even trickier. More than one-third of all in-hospital deaths are attributed to sepsis, making it the Read more…

The growing discrepancy between health care promises and practice

Physician
October 13, 2024

I had a dismal start to the second year of my psychiatric residency, and my subpar performance was noted by many faculty members. One professor approached me and told me to discuss the situation with my psychotherapy supervisor, adding, “Don’t let your supervisor sugarcoat it.” The professor knew that my advisor was an extremely kind and gentle person who would prefer to leave out the details of my performance so …

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How this pediatrician overcame cerebral palsy and discrimination in medicine [PODCAST]

Podcast
October 12, 2024
YouTube video

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We welcome Ron M. Aryel, a pediatrician who shares his powerful journey through medical school and residency as a physician with cerebral palsy. Facing discrimination, ableism, and hostility from colleagues and superiors, Ron …

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