At some point in my career, I had the crazy idea that if I could scale the patient-centric work I was doing in my community at a small rural hospital — then I could make more of an impact. This is why, when a technology company came calling, dangling a carrot in front of my nose to “disrupt” health care, it seemed like a no brainer to make the leap …
A new health care dawn is coming
If you’ve browsed the internet recently, you probably have noticed the #10YearChallenge social media trend that has taken over our news feeds. The phenomena have individuals comparing a current photo of themselves, to their former self ten years ago. As I thought about how well (or not) I’ve aged over time, it got me thinking about the two most important advice I would give my younger self (knowing what I …
How physicians can develop their emotional intelligence
Since the passing of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in 2009, it has been said that health tech would dramatically revolutionize health care and the patient experience. Advocates have claimed time and time again that it would advance disease diagnosis capabilities, improve patient outcomes, and increase patient satisfaction. Belief in this narrative can be seen in the sharp increase in health tech investments, with …
What physicians can learn from anthropologists
My fertility journey is not typical. I have not spent years “trying.” In fact, I have spent years trying not to get pregnant!
My husband has two daughters — and a vasectomy, so getting pregnant was a known challenge. Luckily, I like challenges. We went to an infertility specialist, who told us that reversal was not an option for us, and that IVF was our only option. A bunch of testing …
Physicians should talk about the F word: fertility
When I was a third-year medical student in 2006, I was assigned to spend the day at a well-known women’s health clinic in Toronto. I walked into the procedure room and introduced myself to the attending. His first words to me were: “Are you married?” I replied that I wasn’t married, and he (while continuing the procedure) asked, “Well, do you at least have a serious boyfriend?” Then he asked …
Refusing to walk past the old sexist standards in medicine
As medical students, we are asked to learn in exquisite detail the ins and outs of rare diseases that we may never encounter in clinical practice. Yet the education we receive on caring for a population numbering in the millions is sorely lacking, and the health of those patients — the members of our communities identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or as another sexual or gender minority — is …
America’s inadequate LGBTQ medical education
This past June, California’s Department of Healthcare Services went live with the implementation of its non-medical transportation (NMT) benefit. NMT is described by the National Health Law Program as “transportation provided to access medically necessary services, which is provided by ordinary forms of transportation (public transportation, taxi, or any other forms of public or private transportation).” While transportation as a benefit has long existed under California’s Medicaid program as …
Non-medical transportation for postpartum moms is a necessity
When we all lived in villages, knowing individual merchants allowed you to identify and avoid the cheats. As we urbanized, brand names became the reputational marker. But when you are dealing on the internet, where no one “knows you’re a dog,” what guarantee do you have? A case involving a Dutch physician who argued that her licensure suspension should be forgotten, highlight health care’s growing dilemma of privacy and reputation.
The …
Do physicians have a right to be forgotten?
This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com.
According to the 2018 Medscape National Physician Burnout Report, 42 percent of physicians are burned out. Of the doctors in that group, 56 percent place the blame squarely on the plethora of tasks they find themselves performing instead of being involved in actual patient care. Practicing medicine isn’t …
5 steps clinicians can take to get back to their patients
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
An 81-year-old woman is evaluated for a 1-year history of headaches, redness of the face, and itching. She indicates being otherwise capable of performing her daily activities on her farm. She reports no shortness of breath, chest pain, or difficulty sleeping. Medical history is significant for hypertension; she has …
MKSAP: 81-year-old woman with headaches, redness of the face, and itching
The rotations on adult medicine and critical care are probably the most challenging ones for the residents doing internal medicine residency. No matter how much we try, we tend to feel overwhelmed, fatigued and swamped sometimes. As we progress into residency, we not only gain knowledge and clinical skills but also learn to tackle the challenges of a busy schedule. Below are some of the tips that might be helpful.
1. …
5 tips for interns tackling a busy schedule
In my clinical practice, I have encountered patient aggression typically with narcotic medications, in particular with the refusal of a refill due to evidence of concerning behavior, like a positive drug screen for drugs not prescribed. Aggressive behavior can include yelling, threatening physical violence or intimidation. I have had less trouble with narcotic-related aggression nowadays especially with media coverage of the dangers of narcotic abuse and especially since a lot …
Inappropriate antibiotics are the new drugs of abuse
The United States spends more of their GDP on health care than any other developed nation, and yet it produces some of the poorest outcomes — notably in the field of maternal and infant health.
The advent of digital health has presented the opportunity for a paradigm shift in the delivery of care, and support from investors and policy-makers shows that as far as they’re concerned, digital health …
The 4 C’s of the disruptive digital health space
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According to the NASEM report, half of women medical students experience sexual harassment before they start their careers as physicians. The numbers are even higher for people belonging to minority groups. This harassment is generally overlooked and tolerated, and as injurious as it can be, these women often have to suck it up, keep it moving, and accept it as “part of …
A student doctor says, “Time’s Up”
Life experience gives one an intimate appreciation for the meaning behind the saying “just the tip of the iceberg.” Everyone’s encountered something that turned out to be much larger and more complex than was initially understood. In my experience, medicine has yet to submerge its head underwater to discover the true depths of the sordid underside of what I’m calling the “iatrogenic benzodiazepine iceberg.” My own boat capsized on that …
The tip of the iatrogenic benzodiazepine iceberg
“How do you say cultural competence in Korean?”
“I am always treated with respect in America. So why don’t they care about me here?”
My first patient at my community clinic rotation struggled to speak English. But she came prepared, her words memorized, printed from Google Translate.
“All I want is help.”
She had immigrated from Korea not too long ago and found this community health center for her first dental care in over …
My first patient taught me a humbling lesson
Every morning the alarm clock goes off, I hit snooze once, twice, three times — and eventually get out of bed and on with the day. “Snoozing” is a bad habit for sleep hygiene. Unfortunately, I’ve realized the downside of snoozing also is a euphemism for other aspects of my life.
Several times a year, I attend medical student networking events or speak on panels about residency and what surgical practice …
Fertility, family planning, and the physician life
I’m still trying to figure out what happened. I don’t want to be put on suicide watch by the wellness office. It definitely began during our weekly noontime mindfulness session. I came in late, furtively signed in (gotta make that metric) and slipped into a back corner seat. I went zero to REM in 10 seconds, thanks to last night’s click-boarding my panel into their patient-centered medical i-homes.
I awoke to …
Sharing administrative pain might give us more joy in medicine
The Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is a procedure that enhances the buttocks through fat transfer. Excess fat is harvested from other areas of the body including the abdomen, hips, lower back and thighs through liposuction. BBL is a popular procedure for those seeking to enhance their bodies. However, with the recent reports of patient deaths from undergoing BBL, many have now labeled it as the most dangerous cosmetic procedure.
Dangers of …
A plastic surgeon explains the dangers of the Brazilian butt lift
As a behavioral pediatrician, I see children with behavior problems. Kids with aggression, kids who have been kicked out of multiple daycares or schools and kids who are not doing well at home or school.
One of the things I always look for are clues as to why. Behaviors, while stressful, are not a diagnosis. They are symptoms of something else. For example: Just because a kiddo is not completing homework …
Here’s why pediatricians ask about trauma and violence
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