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3 ways to advance the credibility of online health information

Social Media in Medicine

April 17, 2019

As first reported by The Wall Street Journal late last month, the war against anti-vaccination propaganda now has a new battlefront. Pinterest, the social-media platform where users discover images and information, has begun blocking vaccine-related search terms on its site.

Anti-vaccine content contradicts evidence-based science and established research, the company told WSJ, while cautioning that the search ban is only Read more…

3 ways to advance the credibility of online health information

Doctors shouldn’t have to find side gigs. Here’s why many do.

Smart Money, MD

Physician Finance

April 17, 2019

Thanks to the internet, collaboration has never been so easy. If you need to learn about how to install a new irrigation system in your lawn, the resources are a few clicks away. You just need the time and motivation to make happen. On the medicine front, there has never been a time in the recent past (aside from a failed managed care push in the 1990s) that doctors have …

Why this physician chose to specialize in infectious disease

Paul Sax, MD

Physician

April 16, 2019

Forgive the autobiographical nature of this post, but here’s a recap on how I started down the path to becoming an infectious disease (ID) doctor.

To begin, understand that my first year of medical school was rough going.

In hindsight, this wasn’t surprising. After majoring in English during college (with a minor in the Harvard Lampoon to develop good study habits, ha ha ha), then spending a year abroad teaching, I found medical school’s unrelenting …

In the era of team-based care: Some decisions have to be made alone

Hans Duvefelt, MD

Physician

April 16, 2019

There is a lot of talk about team-based care nowadays, and I had seen some shining examples of that, most recently when a patient at my clinic had a suicide in the family.

But at the same time, there are so many decisions – judgment calls, really – that we make every single day where there isn’t anywhere near enough time to involve team members.

I talk to patients all the time …

How physicians and administrators can get to a place of greater trust

Leslie Flores

Health Policy

April 16, 2019

Recently, I wrote about some key findings from a 2018 survey of U.S. physicians by The Physicians Foundation. It’s no surprise to anyone working in health care today that the survey found alarming levels of professional dissatisfaction, burnout, and pessimism about the future of medicine among respondent physicians. Sadly, it appears that much of that pessimism is directed toward hospitals and their leaders: 46 percent of survey respondents viewed …

Medical education fails trainees interested in primary care

Scott Hippe, MD

Physician

April 16, 2019

“She is meant for more than just primary care,” mused an attending on my internal medicine rotation in medical school. He was referring to a particularly adept resident with whom we were working. This resident was planning on practicing clinic-based general internal medicine. I wasn’t sure why this attending disclosed his thoughts regarding this resident to me, but the implication was clear: “primary care” — whatever is meant by the …

Does running cause arthritis?

Nancy Yen Shipley, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 15, 2019

In general, physical activity is important in maintaining your health. Many people falsely believe that running can cause arthritis but research show that this isn’t necessarily true.

In reality, walking, running or strenuous exercise can significantly decrease risk of any knee osteoarthritis. Doctors are still trying to understand how running can improve knee arthritis, with continual research studies.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis caused by trauma or overuse …

Read more…

Does running cause arthritis?

Telemedicine and access: Leave no patient behind

Aditi U. Joshi, MD

Health Technology

April 15, 2019

Telehealth, using video to have an acute medical care visit, puts some of the power of choice back into our patient’s hands. To best frame telehealth and its use cases, the National Quality Forum published a report in 2017, outlining the following four buckets which I find especially useful with evaluating programs and interventions:

access
cost savings
effectiveness
experience

This post is specifically about access and telehealth. I’m an emergency physician …

It’s important to keep tight controls on benzodiazepines

Samuel Ridout, MD, PhD

Medications

April 15, 2019

When I completed my residency training in 2017 I never imagined so much of my clinical efforts would be directed towards educating patients about controlled substances. As I stepped into clinical practice and took over patients who had long-term relationships with providers that had retired or moved to other positions I began to notice a preponderance of patients, some elderly, taking benzodiazepines daily, frequently at high doses. Often conditions other …

Change the approach to triage to alleviate ER overcrowding

Stephen P. Wood, ACNP-BC

Health Policy

April 15, 2019

“Triage” is French for “to sort.” It developed as a concept on the battlefield as a way to address injured soldiers and ensure that care was provided to those most in need. In the emergency department, triage is usually the responsibility of a trained, experienced nurse. Patients present to the emergency department, the nurse obtains a history and may perform a cursory …

Tucked in: an image that gives a sense of peace

Peggy Murphy

Conditions and Diseases

April 14, 2019

I need to see Justin before my workday commences. I’m a social worker at the outpatient cancer center where Justin has been treated for an aggressive colon cancer.

Seeing him today means visiting him in the hospital, up the road from the center.

It’s almost surreal.

When I first met Justin, nearly two years ago, he looked every bit the linebacker — well over six feet tall, with a girth to match. A …

Chocolate for coughs? Look beyond the headlines.

Roy Benaroch, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 14, 2019

Everyone loves chocolate, and nobody likes to cough. So when headlines like these appeared, they made a big media splash:

Apparently Chocolate Might Be Better for Treating Coughs than Honey and Lemon.

Chocolate Fights Coughs Better Than Codeine, Says Science.

Chocolate Is a Better Cough Suppressant than Medicine, Study Says.

Looks good, huh? Chocolate for a cough – and the headlines say it’s better than medicine, based on …

Was she a doctor? Or was she a hack?

Dana Canfield, MD

Physician

April 14, 2019

Separating fact from fiction had once been her favorite activity. Going over research with a fine-toothed comb, she caught the inaccuracies that riddled popular culture like unruly strands of hair. It came down to this simple algorithm: there were things that could be proven and things that could not. In other words, there were things that would happen consistently given the same set of conditions, while other things were random. …

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Was she a doctor? Or was she a hack?

As a cardiologist, I’m concerned that California isn’t very heart healthy

Heather Shenkman, MD

Conditions and Diseases

April 13, 2019

California is often perceived as a state where healthy habits abound — with a yoga studio on every block and kale salads on every plate. Unfortunately, I know in my daily practice as a cardiologist that this is far from the truth and that diseases due to poor diet and lifestyle are abundant here in sunny California.

As a cardiologist, I’m especially concerned that California isn’t very heart healthy: Just like …

A medical student’s reflection on burnout

Sarah B. El Iskandarani

Medical Education

April 13, 2019

From the moment we begin medical school, we strive to achieve the best we can. That ranges from getting good grades to filling our CV with community work and research experience. With the increasing competitiveness of residency programs, this can be aggravating. The striving, although needed, keeps sucking our energy, our souls, and sometimes our health without us noticing. It eventually drains us so much that we can no longer …

What are the top non-clinical physician jobs and salaries?

Health eCareers

Physician

April 13, 2019

This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com.

When considering a career in the medical field, many people only think of physicians and nurses who work in clinics, give shots, and diagnose patients. However, there’s …

MKSAP: 62-year-old woman with a sun allergy

mksap

Conditions and Diseases

April 13, 2019

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.

A 62-year-old woman is evaluated for a “sun allergy,” manifesting as a rash on her scalp, eyelids, upper back, and knuckles. This started 2 years ago, but is less pronounced over the winter months. Medical history is unremarkable. Her only medication is hydrocortisone cream.

On physical examination, vital signs are …

How the influence of a grandfather affects this physician

Ben Gold, MD

Physician

April 12, 2019

I remember Grandpa Larry’s visits remarkably vividly. He would lumber into the house hunched over, grunting loudly and reeking of cigarettes. He was unshaven and haggard, with wild grey-black hair streaking out horizontally from the sides of his head. He would rock and turn uncomfortably until he could find a chair, then once seated would begin rhythmically swaying back and forth. He spoke in a flat, rough voice. He had …

A medical student grew up without health insurance. Here’s why that matters.

Yoo Jung Kim, MD

Medical Education

April 12, 2019

I’m constantly awed by the fact that I get to be part of one of the best hospitals in the world, especially because as a kid, I grew up without health insurance.

These were the days before the Affordable Care Act; there was no penalty for going without health coverage. As a non-citizen, I was ineligible for Medicaid, and private health care was prohibitively expensive for my family. Fortunately, I was …

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