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Emergency medicine

2,327 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 16

Physician voices

3 strategies to lower the risk of fragmented medical care

After a minor bike accident, you go to the emergency room with a broken wrist. While you’re being triaged, you tell the nurse you take blood thinners because you had deep vein thrombosis a few years ago. The doctor treating…

After a minor bike accident, you go to the emergency room with a broken wrist. While you’re being triaged, you tell the nurse you take blood thinners because you had deep vein thrombosis a few years ago. The doctor treating you says he’s read your medical records, so you assume he knows what medications you take.

When you tell the doctor about the blood thinner, however, your doctor says that’s not …

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3 strategies to lower the risk of fragmented medical care

Physician voices

Having a sad: A physician leans into the feeling of sadness

I broke down crying. Again. — In this cold heart, I can live, or I can die. — It isn’t even on my sad song playlist, so why am I so upset? My scientific brain encouraged me to recreate the…

I broke down crying. Again. — In this cold heart, I can live, or I can die. — It isn’t even on my sad song playlist, so why am I so upset? My scientific brain encouraged me to recreate the environment, remove the variables, and play the song again in isolation. — I believe if I just try, You believe in you and I — Oh no, it’s happening a …

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Having a sad: A physician leans into the feeling of sadness

Physician voices

We don’t have to be heroes

On the first day of medical school, our anatomy lab instructor handed us scalpels and told us to skin our cadavers. Early on, I learned: A good physician does not betray her feelings. A good physician suffers long. A good…

On the first day of medical school, our anatomy lab instructor handed us scalpels and told us to skin our cadavers. Early on, I learned: A good physician does not betray her feelings. A good physician suffers long. A good physician embodies resilience. A good physician is imperturbable. This lesson continued throughout training.

I contemplated leaving medicine during my second year of residency. I was no longer an intern, which meant I could …

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We don’t have to be heroes

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Physician voices

If you think a mother’s pain is unimaginable, you should see her strength

"If you think a mother's pain is unimaginable, you should see her strength." You were visiting your mother when, while in another room, you became unresponsive and fell to the floor. She heard the thump of your fall and raced…

“If you think a mother’s pain is unimaginable, you should see her strength.”

You were visiting your mother when, while in another room, you became unresponsive and fell to the floor. She heard the thump of your fall and raced into the room to find you pale and barely breathing. Drug paraphernalia sat beside you.

Your mother screamed. She cried. She fell to her knees and tried to wake you, slapping your …

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If you think a mother’s pain is unimaginable, you should see her strength

Physician voices

Trapped in a cauldron of suffering, medical staff are weary

Sometimes I really look forward to something new. An alien race arriving on earth would be a nice start. I think we could all use a change in the news cycle. Because I am very tired of thinking about, talking…

Sometimes I really look forward to something new. An alien race arriving on earth would be a nice start. I think we could all use a change in the news cycle. Because I am very tired of thinking about, talking about, and especially treating COVID-19.

In all of my years of medical practice, I have never seen anything that taxed the system and caused so much mayhem, while simultaneously producing such …

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Trapped in a cauldron of suffering, medical staff are weary

Physician voices

Being a doctor is holy work

I was asked by the rabbi at my reform Jewish congregation to give a speech during the Rosh Hashana day service. This is a huge honor. My husband and I only joined this synagogue only two years ago after having…

I was asked by the rabbi at my reform Jewish congregation to give a speech during the Rosh Hashana day service. This is a huge honor. My husband and I only joined this synagogue only two years ago after having left a more conservative congregation a couple of years before when we no longer felt any connection to it. I’m definitely not a leader in the synagogue, although I am …

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Being a doctor is holy work

Conditions and diseases

Just another night for a mental health crisis counselor

It was my turn to sit for the next 8 hours in the middle of the night at the mental health crisis center that's run by a team of therapists and social workers with the community mental health center. We…

It was my turn to sit for the next 8 hours in the middle of the night at the mental health crisis center that’s run by a team of therapists and social workers with the community mental health center. We regularly collaborated with the local police department and EMS for people experiencing a mental health crisis.

We never knew what to expect, and every day was something different.

We were a good, …

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Just another night for a mental health crisis counselor

Physician voices

Our roots are deeply secured and extensive. We hope this storm will pass and not leave us uprooted.

My seven year old has a favorite tree in our backyard. It is an expansive tree with full branches of lush waxy, dark green leaves, providing the best shade on sunny, cloudless days. When every other mature tree was cut…

My seven year old has a favorite tree in our backyard. It is an expansive tree with full branches of lush waxy, dark green leaves, providing the best shade on sunny, cloudless days. When every other mature tree was cut down to build our new neighborhood, it was somehow spared, and left to thrive in our backyard. My daughter lies in the hammock under that tree on hot, summer days …

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Our roots are deeply secured and extensive. We hope this storm will pass and not leave us uprooted.

The Podcast by KevinMD

An emergency medicine life [PODCAST]

"I called my wife of 31 days, anxious and dazed. I told her that the pace I was on was crushing me. I told her I had done seven admits since 5 p.m. and taken floor calls, too. It was…

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“I called my wife of 31 days, anxious and dazed. I told her that the pace I was on was crushing me. I told her I had done seven admits since 5 p.m. and taken floor calls, too. It was not yet midnight. I told her I don’t know …

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An emergency medicine life [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

A new paradigm for psychiatric emergencies [PODCAST]

"Imagine this scenario: a busy mom struggles to balance work and parenting during the pandemic when suddenly her teenage son begins to anger. He gets out of control, screams threats, and kicks a hole in the wall. Neighbors call the…

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“Imagine this scenario: a busy mom struggles to balance work and parenting during the pandemic when suddenly her teenage son begins to anger. He gets out of control, screams threats, and kicks a hole in the wall. Neighbors call the police, who recommend the family go to the emergency …

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A new paradigm for psychiatric emergencies [PODCAST]

Physician voices

Exposure in surgery is everything

An excerpt from All Bleeding Stops. 42nd Surgical Hospital Phu Bai Republic of Vietnam August 1967 They hear them before they see them, the deep, thudding whump of the rotors pounding in their brains, booming in their chests. The choppers…

An excerpt from All Bleeding Stops.

42nd Surgical Hospital
Phu Bai
Republic of Vietnam
August 1967

They hear them before they see them, the deep, thudding whump of the rotors pounding in their brains, booming in their chests. The choppers come at them, rising over the wall of trees, leaking oil, dripping blood, enlarging, becoming darker, louder, filling the sky with their deafening roar. They hit the ground in a whirlwind of …

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Exposure in surgery is everything

Physician voices

How to tell someone their loved one died

First, you turn off your phone. You can’t have any interruptions. As you walk to your patient’s room where the family is waiting for you, pick up a box of tissues and put it in your back pocket. Don’t hold…

First, you turn off your phone. You can’t have any interruptions. As you walk to your patient’s room where the family is waiting for you, pick up a box of tissues and put it in your back pocket. Don’t hold it in your hand as you meet them. It’ll betray their new reality.

When you enter the room, you introduce yourself to everyone as the doctor. You find a seat to …

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How to tell someone their loved one died

The Podcast by KevinMD

How one word may have harmed my patient [PODCAST]

"With this single word, mom had now completely altered her willingness to see the deep suffering of her child. This single word watered all of this child’s five years of depression, crippling anxiety, history full of ACEs, and very significant…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

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“With this single word, mom had now completely altered her willingness to see the deep suffering of her child. This single word watered all of this child’s five years of depression, crippling anxiety, history full of ACEs, and very significant struggle down to a simple, selfish, flippant choice.

Furthermore, mom …

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How one word may have harmed my patient [PODCAST]

Physician voices

Why this physician and her husband almost divorced

My husband and I recently had a bit of a wobble in our marriage. In truth, it was more than a wobble, and it had been building for years. I am pleased to say that we have traversed the turbulence.…

My husband and I recently had a bit of a wobble in our marriage. In truth, it was more than a wobble, and it had been building for years. I am pleased to say that we have traversed the turbulence. Not only are we once again sailing in smooth waters, but we are sailing in more idyllic waters than ever before.

Why did it happen?

For so many reasons, but I need …

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Why this physician and her husband almost divorced

The Podcast by KevinMD

How technology in the ER boosts the patient experience [PODCAST]

"When harnessing easy-to-use technology to provide answers to frequently asked questions such as the ER wait time, or the ER’s address, for instance, patients and their families are properly informed, and clinical staff are given the time to focus on…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

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“When harnessing easy-to-use technology to provide answers to frequently asked questions such as the ER wait time, or the ER’s address, for instance, patients and their families are properly informed, and clinical staff are given the time to focus on their most important job: caring for patients. The use …

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How technology in the ER boosts the patient experience [PODCAST]

Physician voices

An emergency medicine life

I called my wife of 31 days, anxious and dazed. I told her that the pace I was on was crushing me. I told her I had done seven admits since 5 p.m. and taken floor calls, too. It was…

I called my wife of 31 days, anxious and dazed. I told her that the pace I was on was crushing me. I told her I had done seven admits since 5 p.m. and taken floor calls, too. It was not yet midnight. I told her I don’t know if I can do this job. But I soldiered on.

It was the first of July.

I picked up my first chart of …

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An emergency medicine life

Medical education

Trauma: Encountering the past in the present

“Code blue!” the overhead speaker blared. I had just started my shift in the pediatric emergency department. “This will be good for you to see,” the off-service junior resident said to me, as she sprang up from her chair in…

“Code blue!” the overhead speaker blared.

I had just started my shift in the pediatric emergency department.  “This will be good for you to see,” the off-service junior resident said to me, as she sprang up from her chair in Pavlovian fashion. With a surge of adrenaline, I blindly followed a group of nurses and physicians towards the trauma case that had just rolled in.

I eventually ended up in a crowded …

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Trauma: Encountering the past in the present

The Podcast by KevinMD

What this physician learned from medicine in developing countries [PODCAST]

"On a recent call with a small health organization in rural Uganda, I asked the director about the C-section rate in the community. In some private maternity centers, this procedure is performed far more often than one might expect. I’ve…

Listen on Apple Podcasts · Spotify

Listen and followApple PodcastsSpotifyYouTubeMore apps · Browse all episodes

“On a recent call with a small health organization in rural Uganda, I asked the director about the C-section rate in the community. In some private maternity centers, this procedure is performed far more often than one might expect. I’ve learned that while this practice may be financially motivated, …

Read more…

What this physician learned from medicine in developing countries [PODCAST]

Physician voices

Violent protests in a young African democracy closes a hospital

I had an uneasy weekend. On the one hand, I was watching the COVID-19 figures around the country and in my region of KwaZulu-Natal. We are waiting for the third wave to hit our hospital. Last week we stopped planned…

I had an uneasy weekend.

On the one hand, I was watching the COVID-19 figures around the country and in my region of KwaZulu-Natal. We are waiting for the third wave to hit our hospital. Last week we stopped planned surgeries and reviewed our planning and capacity to deal with the surge.

On the other hand, I had been sunk by the images and reports of violent protests related to the imprisonment …

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Violent protests in a young African democracy closes a hospital

Physician voices

The psychological repercussions of patient complaints

3

In any industry, there will always be unhappy customers. Having a formalized method of dealing with complaints is absolutely necessary to protect consumers and patients. What isn’t discussed enough is the severity of these complaints' psychological repercussions on physicians and…

In any industry, there will always be unhappy customers. Having a formalized method of dealing with complaints is absolutely necessary to protect consumers and patients. What isn’t discussed enough is the severity of these complaints’ psychological repercussions on physicians and other medical providers.

Most providers spend years of their lives in school, sacrificing family plans, social events, and sometimes their own well-being, all on a mission to care for others. Despite …

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The psychological repercussions of patient complaints

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