Hospital medicine

5,188 articles · Since 2004

Articles, page 21

To be in medicine is to know grief, pain, and heartbreak in a personal way

December 30, 2020Dec 30, 2020

“Grief never ends ... but it changes. It’s a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith ... It is the price of love.” – Anonymous The “price of love”:…

“Grief never ends … but it changes. It’s a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith … It is the price of love.”
– Anonymous

The “price of love”: We are now paying that price with the passing of Debbie this weekend. I grieve as I write this. The entire hospital and everyone who knew Debbie grieve. We have a right …

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Behind the scenes of a hospital’s COVID response [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

December 28, 2020Dec 28, 2020

"In the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic, getting a flu shot has never been more important. Many people are staying indoors, wearing a mask, and washing their hands frequently. In this environment, patients ask me, “With all this social distancing,…

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“In the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic, getting a flu shot has never been more important.

Many people are staying indoors, wearing a mask, and washing their hands frequently. In this environment, patients ask me, “With all this social distancing, do I really need a flu shot this year?” The answer is unequivocally, “Yes!” Even the safest practices do not guarantee that …

Physician voices

The laws of The House of God and Man’s 4th Best Hospital

Samuel Shem, MD, PhD

December 24, 2020Dec 24, 20202

Forty-two years ago, when I had finally finished the seven revisions of my first novel, The House of God, my editor said, “Why don’t you add a glossary and a list of The Laws of the House of God.” Writing the Laws, I hardly needed to refer to the text; they just flowed out. The Laws became common parlance, not only tacked up in on-call rooms but even, recently, listed …

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Does your doctor’s age matter? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

December 21, 2020Dec 21, 20202

"If I had $100 for every time I walked into a patient’s room, introduced myself as the doctor, and was immediately asked, 'Hey, how old are you?' I might be able to retire right now — at the age of…

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“If I had $100 for every time I walked into a patient’s room, introduced myself as the doctor, and was immediately asked, ‘Hey, how old are you?’ I might be able to retire right now — at the age of 28. Of course, I am exaggerating, and yet this question echoes for my baby-faced colleagues and me constantly.

Whether it’s simple curiosity …

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Issues faced by LGBTQ individuals in the operative setting [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

December 19, 2020Dec 19, 2020

"Studies have repeatedly demonstrated a vast majority of pain physicians don’t feel like they have adequate training in meeting the unique needs of this patient population, though most agree that such efforts are very necessary. This disconnect between demand and…

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“Studies have repeatedly demonstrated a vast majority of pain physicians don’t feel like they have adequate training in meeting the unique needs of this patient population, though most agree that such efforts are very necessary. This disconnect between demand and supply is a problem, a big one.

With the current pandemic stretching many people thin financially, the last thing that needs to …

Physician voices

Medical residents signed up to live in the hospital, not to die there

Anonymous

December 16, 2020Dec 16, 20204

I saw a tweet recently from a medical resident training at another hospital that really hit home for me: “In response to a rumor that health care workers who treat COVID patients will be prioritized for vaccination in our health…

“Resident” is a word coined in the twentieth century when physicians in training often physically lived (“resided”) at the hospital. …

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Turn 2020 into an opportunity by changing your mindset [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

December 13, 2020Dec 13, 2020

"A few months ago, I signed up for a virtual conference for women in medicine. It's a group of women, over 10,000 of us, who have watched me and supported me through the past two years of my career. Two…

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“A few months ago, I signed up for a virtual conference for women in medicine. It’s a group of women, over 10,000 of us, who have watched me and supported me through the past two years of my career. Two years of struggle. Two years of personal and professional pain. Two years of opportunity for growth, and two years of numerous …

Physician voices

More physicians have tattoos, and how that makes them more genuine at the bedside

Katherine Palmisano, MD

December 10, 2020Dec 10, 2020

Throughout my time in medical school, residency, and now as a practicing physician, I have noticed physicians' changing face. When applying for medical school, I remember choosing a medium-grey pantsuit to match my medium-brown hair to wear for my interview,…

Throughout my time in medical school, residency, and now as a practicing physician, I have noticed physicians’ changing face. When applying for medical school, I remember choosing a medium-grey pantsuit to match my medium-brown hair to wear for my interview, paired with a simple necklace and conservative makeup. Nothing too flashy, as even choosing grey instead of black and a pantsuit instead of a skirt would stand out and be …

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How to decrease your dread of being on-call [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

December 9, 2020Dec 9, 2020

"Have you ever wondered how much time we spend worrying about call, versus the amount of time that we actually spend being on call? What about the Monday after a long weekend, returning from vacation, or an overnight shift? Is…

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“Have you ever wondered how much time we spend worrying about call, versus the amount of time that we actually spend being on call? What about the Monday after a long weekend, returning from vacation, or an overnight shift? Is it as bad as we think it’s going to be, even a fraction of the time? Is it worth all of …

Physician voices

Reflecting on the advice of a revered physician counsellor

Olubadewa A. Fatunde, MD, MPH

December 7, 2020Dec 7, 2020

I turned into the hospital parking lot, placed my car into park, and looked up at the time. 5:44 a.m. I’d spent the previous night researching COVID-19 symptoms and treatment options, preparing to field questions from my patients, family, and friends. Attempting to understand this disease process, which seemed to present a new wrinkle every few days, felt like trying to spot a chameleon. While the number of COVID cases …

Physician voices

How this surgeon beat a medical staff disciplinary action

Barney Cohen, Esq

December 6, 2020Dec 6, 2020

I recently represented a physician in a noteworthy peer review case at an academic medical center. The medical staff president initiated a complaint against a surgeon, who would later become my client. The complaint was that the surgeon inappropriately collected cash payment from an uninsured patient at the hospital’s point of service instead of having his office invoice and collect payment from the patient. The medical staff felt this was …

Physician voices

Physicians who work themselves into the ground have nothing to be proud of

Jenny Hartsock, MD

December 4, 2020Dec 4, 2020

There were recently many news articles and coverage exalting a physician for working 250 straight days during COVID. 250 days, that’s nearly 8 1/2 months without a day off. While this physician displays dedication and caring, I don’t think we…

There were recently many news articles and coverage exalting a physician for working 250 straight days during COVID. 250 days, that’s nearly 8 1/2 months without a day off.

While this physician displays dedication and caring, I don’t think we should celebrate this as an achievement. The truth is he’s working every day all day for one of two reasons. Either there is no one else, and he’s a victim of …

Physician voices

We keep our sleep-deprived physicians in hospitals full of calorie-dense food

Vybhav Jetty, MD

December 2, 2020Dec 2, 20202

Medicine causes just as much disease as it solves. We must adopt the lifestyle to get through college, medical school, residency, and fellowship is nothing close to a healthy lifestyle. Previously, we discussed the long hours and the lack of…

This begins with what the hospital cafeteria sells. Despite promoting healthful eating, hospitals instead profit from diabetes-inducing food …

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How this physician’s first experience with death affected her [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

November 29, 2020Nov 29, 2020

"My sister called me. I answered. And, then, I lost it: 'He died. He died,' I repeated. 'Our patient died. I literally did CPR on this guy. We tried to save his life, and he died,' I repeated over and…

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“My sister called me. I answered. And, then, I lost it: ‘He died. He died,’ I repeated. ‘Our patient died. I literally did CPR on this guy. We tried to save his life, and he died,’ I repeated over and over. The tears streaming down my cheeks were cathartic. More than signifying a loss, the tears signified that I was still …

Physician voices

A patient revolution for careful and kind care

Victor Montori, MD

November 29, 2020Nov 29, 2020

An excerpt from Why We Revolt: A Patient Revolution for Careful and Kind Care. It was late at the premier teaching hospital in the country, and we were overworked and overwhelmed. Those patients in most trouble had made it in,…

An excerpt from Why We Revolt: A Patient Revolution for Careful and Kind Care.

It was late at the premier teaching hospital in the country, and we were overworked and overwhelmed. Those patients in most trouble had made it in, but many waited outside, a domino line from the threshold of the emergency room to the edge of the hospital. Those inside were on gurneys in the …

Physician voices

Being an attending: What no one tells you in residency and medical school

Fatai Oluyadi, MD

November 29, 2020Nov 29, 2020

For most of us, medical training through all the pains of medical school and residency is often bearable when we fantasize about life on the other side of all of this. Life as an attending physician, when the sky suddenly turns all rainbow, when the money starts to fall from those skies — we’re finally our own bosses, and then we’re supposed to live happily ever after. The reality, however, …

The Podcast by KevinMD

Essential physician communication tips to improve the patient experience [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

November 22, 2020Nov 22, 2020

"A majority of physicians see between 11 and 20 patients per day, and among all practices, the majority of doctors spend between 17 and 24 minutes with each patient. Assuming a five-day workweek, this translates to more than 900 patient…

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“A majority of physicians see between 11 and 20 patients per day, and among all practices, the majority of doctors spend between 17 and 24 minutes with each patient. Assuming a five-day workweek, this translates to more than 900 patient interactions per year and over 1,066 minutes spent communicating with patients. Today, many of these interactions fall short of effective communication so pivotal …

Physician voices

I am an emergency and critical care physician. I had COVID-19 infection twice and I’m tired.

Kara Ward, MD

November 22, 2020Nov 22, 20207

I am a critical care and emergency medicine physician, I have had COVID-19 infection twice, and I’m tired. My first infection was early on in the pandemic. I had to place a Blakemore tube in a young man who was…

I am a critical care and emergency medicine physician, I have had COVID-19 infection twice, and I’m tired.

My first infection was early on in the pandemic. I had to place a Blakemore tube in a young man who was going to die from his massive bleeding from cirrhosis. I didn’t know then that the patient was positive for COVID, as he didn’t have any “typical” symptoms. I placed the tube …

Physician voices

The doctor will sneeze you now

Barbara Fischler & Kevin Wheelock & Matthew Ringer, MD & MD Emily Moss & MD Lisa O'Donovan, MD

November 22, 2020Nov 22, 20202

A year ago, it would have seemed absurd for a medical resident to call out sick with nothing more than a cough and congestion. It’s different now. The calculus of cold symptoms has changed. When one of us recently woke…

A year ago, it would have seemed absurd for a medical resident to call out sick with nothing more than a cough and congestion.

It’s different now. The calculus of cold symptoms has changed.

When one of us recently woke with a sniffle, she wondered if she should stay home. She logged into her computer and saw that ten patients expected to see her in clinic that day, including several who had …

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The doctor will sneeze you now

Physician voices

A physician talks to his retired colleagues

Richard Plotzker, MD

November 20, 2020Nov 20, 2020

After I retired, our regional medical center realized they had accumulated scores of physicians of major capability and stellar professional reputation whose careers had either concluded or entered their closing years. Though I had retired from a different institution, I had been on staff there for twenty years, so they graciously absorbed me into their newly created senior physicians advisory group. Its purpose and activities remain in evolution with periodic …

Hospital medicine

Articles, page 21

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