It’s time for more genomics education in nursing
Genetic testing is now the standard of care for common diseases such as cancer and heart disease, predicting risk and enabling earlier and more effective patient care. It’s an exciting revolution in patient care that has far-reaching potential and continues to grow and expand. But in Canada, we are not using all of our health human resources to take advantage of this important transformation in health care.
What’s missing are …
Why do physicians – and psychiatrists in particular – write?
All writers want recognition of some sort. No?
Recognition can take many forms, such as positive feedback, awards, or simply the knowledge that their work is being read and appreciated. However, it is important to note that motivation can vary among writers. Some may write primarily for personal satisfaction, to express themselves, or to contribute to a specific field or cause.
Some writers write to make a living. In fact, professional writing …
Why we shouldn’t trust sleep-deprived doctors: a wake-up call
I wouldn’t trust my Uber driver to drive me after they’ve been awake for over 24 hours. Why would I trust my doctor?
Since starting medical school and hearing about the dreadful 24-hour shifts, I’ve constantly wondered why they are standard of practice, let alone legally allowed. Why would a hospital want the liability of a sleep-deprived doctor?
I first saw the effects of a 24-hour shift during my general surgery rotation. …
Allyship in action: Supporting your LGBTQ+ patients
“Mom, when I walk in the room, all they see is a deviant Black man.”
Those were the words my transgender daughter said to me after a recent visit with her primary care physician. She felt like everyone was judging her, and the doctor acted like she had a contagious disease. He was also preoccupied with her name choice and whether she would be getting a “sex change” surgery, and he …
Using technology to diagnose sepsis [PODCAST]
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Join Robert Scoggins, a physician executive, as we discuss the challenges of diagnosing and treating sepsis in the emergency department compared to other emergent conditions like stroke and heart attack. We’ll discuss the …
Unveiling the unseen: the hidden costs of health care-associated infections
Many aspects of health care-associated infections are unseen. The bacteria that cause infections like C. difficile or catheter-associated urinary tract infections are invisible to the naked eye. Beyond the financial burdens of additional treatment and longer hospital stays, less obvious costs often fall below the radar in the form of suffering, distress, and shattered trust in the health care system when patients fall victim to preventable infections.
And, often low profile …
Medical school admissions: an issue of socioeconomic diversity
For thousands of individuals every year, receiving an acceptance letter from a U.S. medical school is a monumental occasion. The culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice. It is an acknowledgment of academic prowess and ability. This is an indication that years of hard work and dedication have paid off and that, since being selected, an individual possesses unique talents and abilities, allowing them to enter an esoteric realm …
How medical malpractice lawsuits are silencing good doctors
In Gerald Green’s The Last Angry Man, Dr. Samuel Abelman is a general practitioner in the twilight of a career that spans fifty years of commitment to patients.
The time is the 1950s, and the place is Brooklyn, NY. The problem is the proliferation of medical specialties.
Although most of his colleagues regard specialization as a greater good because it promises better-trained physicians, Dr. Abelman sees specialization as antithetical to his …
Korean resident doctors mass resignation: a cry for change [PODCAST]
The cost of ineffective technology: Why your practice’s tech stack may be contributing to employee burnout and high turnover rates
A recent survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) revealed that 75 percent of medical group owners report that work-related stress levels have increased this year. A previous MGMA poll found that nearly 30 percent of medical groups had a physician leave the practice or retire early because of burnout.
When asked what factors were contributing to burnout in a Harris Poll online survey conducted by HealthDay, 58 percent of …
5 lessons for a better life: observations from a front row seat for the highs and lows
Recently, I had the privilege of being shadowed by a medical student who is interested in becoming a pediatric critical care medicine physician like I am. On the day she came to observe me, we were navigating a busy and heartbreaking time in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). I was curious how the experience would affect her and her decision, but I figured it was as good of a …
The adverse labor and delivery experiences faced by Black women
Women of color, particularly Black women, encounter distinct challenges during pregnancy and childbirth. This results in disproportionately adverse outcomes such as invasive treatments, infant mortality, severe complications, and even death experienced by these women. The role of racism and discrimination are highlighted even when controlling for certain underlying social and economic factors. For example, education and income are not protective of poor outcomes, and inequity in health care persists …
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How compassion can fix the health care system [PODCAST]
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Join Drew Remignanti, an emergency physician, as we delve into the intersection of compassion, health care, and spirituality. Explore the vital role of compassion in medical care, the challenges of balancing health care …
Why doctors rely on nurses more than you think
I think we spend more working hours with nurses than with any other colleagues. They not only solve the problems of the patients, but most of the time, they even know more than doctors about the progress of every patient. I really rely on their assessment, and sometimes we make better decisions with a little discussion about the situation with each other. We have the same problems, we hate the …
Black maternal mortality crisis: Preventable deaths demand action
The racial and ethnic divide within health care remains largely unaddressed. One aspect I wish to highlight is the impact of mortality rates after childbirth, particularly among African American women. They face the highest mortality rates postpartum, presenting a concerning health disparity that verges on a public health crisis. According to the CDC, black women are two to three times more likely to succumb to pregnancy-related complications compared to other …
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Physician burnout: We’re partly to blame, here’s how to fix it
From the heart of one doctor to another, let’s address the evil spirit haunting our halls: burnout. It has become the unwelcome companion of many physicians, including myself, who frequently lament our moral injuries and the mistreatment that seems to shadow us. We seek refuge as wellness coaches or in the serene embrace of time away, hoping for respite. We call for laws and policies to protect us from the …
The demise of doctor-owned medicine?
When I joined The Everett Clinic forty-two years ago, we were thirty-some physicians. The main campus consisted of what’s now called the Founders’ Building and a couple of parking lots. The building was industrial and off-putting, guiding patients to various locations by way of colored stripes on the floor. TEC had just opened its first satellite office in Marysville and had negotiated an exclusive contract with a now-defunct health insurance …
Health care administrators: a call for equal transparency and accountability
While physicians are constantly being asked to prove their value with a growing constellation of metrics, health care administrators seem to have escaped a similarly high degree of transparency and accountability about the value of their specific roles. What I mean is that physicians are certainly not equally informed by objective measures of the performance of their administrators. Given the remarkable growth in the health care administrator to physician ratio …
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The many losses of a long psychiatry career
At the beginning of a career – sometimes when viewed through rose-colored glasses not yet spoiled by reality – you hope to be able to lose loss to stay away. Somehow you feel like if you just try hard enough – practice psychiatry in the best way possible you can somehow prevent death by suicide. This is obviously magical thinking, and you begin to realize that there will be a …
Past Week
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How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
-
How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
-
Why vaccine access still fails America’s most vulnerable groups
-
Medical school admissions are racing toward an AI-driven disaster
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
From the other side of the table: a plea for empathy
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Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
Cutting opioid use in half: a hospital’s pain management breakthrough
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
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Recent Posts
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A surgeon’s startling ketamine experience [PODCAST]
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How doctors can thrive despite declining reimbursements
-
How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup
-
Why prescribing medicine to kids scares even experienced doctors
-
When empathy becomes “toxic”
-
Leading with care: a new approach to health care leadership for well-being [PODCAST]
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Past Week
-
How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
-
How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
-
Why vaccine access still fails America’s most vulnerable groups
-
Medical school admissions are racing toward an AI-driven disaster
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
From the other side of the table: a plea for empathy
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
Cutting opioid use in half: a hospital’s pain management breakthrough
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
-
Recent Posts
-
A surgeon’s startling ketamine experience [PODCAST]
-
How doctors can thrive despite declining reimbursements
-
How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup
-
Why prescribing medicine to kids scares even experienced doctors
-
When empathy becomes “toxic”
-
Leading with care: a new approach to health care leadership for well-being [PODCAST]
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