"Picture this. A patient in a hospital or rehab facility has just finished exercising with therapy. He is thirsty, and he thinks he might as well ask for a snack now because he will be hungry in 30 minutes. His therapist sets him up in his wheelchair...
"Empathy, intelligence, and commitment are crucial traits every doctor must have to succeed. However, there is one trait that stands above the rest. One of the most important aspects of an effective doctor is the desire to be challenged and overcome...
"During addiction, the brain becomes 'hijacked,' which then 'exaggerates the need for the drug and minimizes the dangers associated with the use of the drug.' This is so affirming because the chemicals in my brain told me I was going to die if the...
"My own burnout episode forced me into some heavy-duty soul-searching and serious reflection. I got lost in the world of seeing as many patients as possible, battling for more operating room time, and keeping up procedure volumes, prior...
"I experienced many deaths when I was a nurse, from babies, kids, young adults, the elderly, and my own family. It was always heartbreaking, but I found that staying with the dying and the family and supporting them in what little way I could made the...
"How do we manage this? All patients meet with the physical therapist before surgery and within two days after surgery. They use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) before and after surgery. They get a regional anesthetic block from one...
"Scientific research impacts our lives, however, and much more profoundly than we generally appreciate. Considering the wide-ranging benefits, science is not just for scientists. Research discoveries are often translated to tools and applications down...
"My quality of life is outstanding. I leave work every evening only after every call is answered, fax addressed, a prescription delivered, then retreat to my home a mile away. The proximity makes it easy to see patients after hours, on weekends, and...
"Being a transactional lawyer for physicians is never dull because the more the regulations, guidance, and laws change, the more questions everyone has. But it’s more than just getting an answer to a question and being in compliance. Doctors are...
In this special episode, I'm on the other side of the microphone. I'm interviewed by CMEfy's Brian Cohen on the Co-Learning Clinician podcast, and we discuss the concept of physician co-learning, opinion pieces vs. gold standards in medicine, what I...
"The art and craft of being a physician and finding meaning in our care of others are to make poetry out of our lives." is a family physician. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "." The Podcast by KevinMD is brought to you...
"My lifelong quest to become a healer — over 40 years as a family physician, scientist, and researcher with the National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and the Department of Defense...
"It’s not that physicians need to be more resilient. We’ve failed to provide them with the goodwill to be human and embrace their “whole selves” (people who are resilient often but not always), access to safe and consistent relationships to...
"If you did not have a colonoscopy, I would still recommend that you do it in a conventional way and get that IV sedation. But if you are an adventurer as I am, I would highly recommend that you do a colonoscopy the same way I did without anesthesia....
"Suppose you’re getting ready to send your young adult off to college for the first time. In that case, you’ve likely been spending the summer getting college dorm and apartment essentials lined up: bedding, storage cubes, first aid kit, extension...
"Not too long ago, a circumstance occurred. I have experienced similar circumstances several times in my career. However, this time, my response was different. It was like a switch in my brain flipped. I was ready to leave clinical medicine. It was...
In this special sponsored episode. I’m joined by Dr. Filip Dubovsky. He is an infectious disease physician, executive vice president, and chief medical officer responsible for medical and clinical affairs and related activities at Novavax. A...
"Without a strong rural health care system, our nation’s ability to expand and contract with surges in demand will become very limited. When hospitals work together, they can better ensure that no community is left without a rural hospital for...
"I have come to appreciate why doctors find self-directed patients challenging, if not downright difficult. I wish all docs would engage with us, hear us out, and offer an explanation and further discussion when they disagree. The doctors I choose to...
"With regard to health care in the USA, the quote from Dickens is twice correct. We are in the best of times for knowledge, capability, and potential. We also are in the worst of times with regard to the application of our knowledge and the outcomes...
"Yes, the opioid crisis in this country has caused a reckoning in the medical field about how to treat patient pain. Ignoring the pain will not make it go away. Options are available beyond opioids, and policymakers and health care providers need to...
"It has now been almost four years since I transitioned to academia. I see fewer patients per day and take fewer call. I also have more time with each patient, more time to recharge, more time for other academic pursuits, and more time for creative...
"Doing medical-legal consulting is a great way to use your medical training in a non-clinical field that really helps people. One of the many things we can do is help attorneys refute the question of a pre-existing medical condition. Often opposing...
In this special sponsored episode, I’m joined by Ernie Wallerstein, CEO of Mental Health Technologies, or MHT. MHT is a cloud-based platform that enables health care clinicians to identify patients that may be suffering from undiagnosed or...