A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.
Behind every denial letter, there’s a story. A cancer patient forced to delay life-saving treatment, a parent battling red tape to secure the recommended …
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
In this episode, we speak with family and long-term care physician Sid Feldman about the KevinMD article “Antipsychotic use has been rising in long-term care homes, but we can do something about …
Recently, while contemplating the AAPA-AMA scope creep debate, I encountered a quote about GLP1-RAs for obesity: “We need to just really think about it as a chronic disease … to make sure that we try to keep that patient in [ongoing] treatment.” Another obesity medicine specialist reinforced this view: “These drugs are indicated by the FDA so that you could be on it for the rest of your life.”
This …
Introduction
AI-powered wearables are revolutionizing health care, particularly in cardiac health. These devices continuously monitor heart function, enabling early detection of abnormalities and personalized care. Digital medicine’s integration with AI promises to significantly improve patient outcomes. While AI wearables offer vast potential, challenges persist, including concerns about data accuracy, privacy, and regulatory approval, as well as the need for clear ethical guidelines.
Opportunities of AI-powered wearables
AI wearables provide numerous opportunities for …
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
A medical student, Janet Constance Coleman-Belin, discusses her KevinMD article “The hidden cost of medical training: debt, depression, and despair.” Janet explores the challenges of medical education, including exorbitant debt, mental health …
Introduction
Long COVID has emerged as a silent health crisis, lingering long after the acute phase of the pandemic has faded. For countless lives, the battle with COVID-19 did not end with recovery from the virus. Instead, it transformed into an enduring struggle with debilitating symptoms, including depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, PTSD, cognitive dysfunction, and post-COVID fatigue. This psychiatric landscape demands more than incremental solutions; it calls for bold, transformative approaches …
When I was a general surgery intern, I was doing my very early morning pre-rounds on a frail female patient in her late 70s with significant cardio- and peripheral vascular disease. She’d been in the hospital for weeks and wasted away to no more than 85-90 pounds. She was not able to get out of bed unassisted. I don’t even remember why she was in the hospital, but what I …
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
In this episode, psychiatrist Chika Oriuwa discusses her KevinMD article, “How a psychiatrist rebuilt trust with a patient in crisis.” She also reflects on her book Unlike the Rest: A Doctor’s Story, …
As health care providers working in long-term care (LTC), we’ve seen firsthand how antipsychotic medications are prescribed to residents, and why. Antipsychotics are often used to help manage behaviors such as agitation and aggression in older adults living with dementia. They may be helpful for some patients, but antipsychotics can do more harm than good for many, especially when used long-term.
Now a new report has highlighted this as a …
As a board-certified pediatric endocrinologist, the field medical director for type 1 diabetes immunology (T1D) at Sanofi, and someone who was diagnosed with T1D as a child, it’s fair to say that much of my life has revolved around the disease.
I could recite the risk factors for T1D in my sleep; I’ve seen first-hand the perils of an unexpected T1D diagnosis—including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA); I’m keenly aware that those with …
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
Arnold Eiser, an internal medicine physician and author, discusses his KevinMD article, “What Chadwick Boseman’s death reveals about cancer prevention and risk factors,” examining how environmental toxins and systemic health inequities shaped …
Medical malpractice is a subject about which I am passionate. I am an obstetrician-gynecologist; I have been sued five times (one case ends in a mistrial, two in settlements of convenience, and two are dismissed with prejudice); I paid over $1 million in medical malpractice premiums over a career, and I abandoned my specialty because of threats of medical malpractice. These are reasons enough to be passionate.
There are 85,000 medical …
It was like being struck by lightning during the chorus, the recognition that Paul Simon was singing directly to me. “Medicine is magical, and magical is art,” he sang, and I turned up the radio, convinced that I was supposed to hear these lyrics—a tender moment in which I was vulnerable to possibility. The hair on my neck stood up and warmth washed over me, the telltale signs that this …
ADVERTISEMENT
On August 8, 2024, the CDC updated its selected practice recommendations for contraception for the first time since 2016. This revision emphasized the importance of discussing pain management options with patients undergoing intrauterine device (IUD) placement. Although the steps involved in IUD insertion are widely recognized as painful, this update marked the first time the CDC recommended tailoring pain management strategies based on open conversations with patients.
Despite the well-known discomfort …
It seems unlikely that Paramount Studios released Gladiator Part 2 immediately after the presidential election to diffuse political rancor. They didn’t intend to provide a cathartic release for the nation’s pent-up frustrations. The goal wasn’t to help remove the hissing American tea kettle from such a divisive political flame.
Hollywood made the film to entertain us and make some money in the process. The studio probably released it during the holiday …
Congress passed the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996. This federal regulation was aimed at maintaining the privacy of medical records while ensuring the smooth flow of medical information pertinent to patient care. Penalties assessed for violations of the HIPAA Act mostly involve financial penalties (between $25,000 per violation up to $100,000 per violation). Congress also included criminal penalties for violations of HIPAA rules enacted under 42 …
For students, medical school is more than just an educational opportunity: it’s a major stage of life that can evoke profound self-reflection. Between classes, clinical experiences, and interactions with classmates, one of these reflections may be the following: Do I really have what it takes to be here?
This is known as imposter syndrome, a phenomenon whereby a person’s perception of their merits or skills doesn’t match their actual accomplishments, leading …
The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services raises concerns about the potential impact on public health policy. As hearings on his candidacy take place, it is important for senators to consider how his views and public statements have influenced physicians, children, and the broader health care system.
Kennedy has been a prominent figure in the discussion around vaccines, often promoting claims that contradict established …
A tweet on “X” (formerly known as “Twitter”), dated Jan. 2, 2024, and attributed to Elon Musk stated:
“… heavy use of C-sections allows for a larger brain, as brain size has historically been limited by birth canal diameter.”
For some reason, this statement was recently circulating on social media, even though it is a year old. I first came across the statement in a Facebook group for physicians, where a colleague …
Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.
