The Podcast by KevinMD
Episodes
How writing can change minds and make you a better physician
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Meet the physician who has written multiple widely-shared articles on KevinMD. How does writing change minds and bring people together? Why is humor s...
To better take care of patients, we need to take care of ourselves
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I wonder what keeps us physicians going? What makes us show up to work every day? Even though it might sound clichéd, for most of us, it's the love ...
Search engine optimization for physicians
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"What is SEO? In short, it is the process of optimizing content found online in order to help it be seen by those searching for the information found ...
How coaching prevents and treats physician burnout
25 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Physicians are advocates of health. This must include our own. Physicians identify threats to health. This must include those that threaten our own –...
3 coronavirus facts Americans must know before returning to work and school
24 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We can't un-bungle our nation's COVID-19 response. Political leaders acted too slowly; health agencies committed unforced errors with testing kits an...
A terminal diagnosis for my baby
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Eventually, this thankfully passed. Now, almost three years later, I know that this loss will always be with us. Miriam was beautiful, she was our on...
A physician experiences unprofessional behavior. What happened next?
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Setting: An impersonal, windowless conference room within a hospital Characters: A nurse in charge (NIC), a department chair (DC) and me (ME) NIC: T...
Telehealth is the future but it is obscured by a dismal present
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Will the unfavorable regulatory environment permit telehealth to flourish? Perforce we're beginning to see a relaxation of restrictions that have hit...
Can what you eat worsen your ADHD?
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Suzy was a bright and hardworking student. However, even though she was conscientious and generally cheery, her grades began to fall during her senio...
Sexual offender treatment during COVID-19
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Let's not suffer more hardship then already incurred by COVID-19. Recognizing that both the psychosocial stressors arising from COVID-19 and the with...
Be an upstander and not a bystander
18 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"The incident bothered me all day and the following many days. I couldn't quite put a finger on what it was and brushed it aside and stopped thinking ...
What it's like to write about COVID-19 while it's killing your mom
17 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"My mom was beyond vulnerable to the virus. May of 2020 marked two years since she'd become a nursing home resident—receiving care for several chron...
What does a physician's ideal life look like?
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You are a physician. You have put in years of hard work and sacrifice getting here. Now what? Does your life look and feel exactly how you imagined i...
A medical student volunteers with the medical corps
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"An email arrived inviting med students to join the State of Georgia's Medical Reserve Corps (MRC). The MRC is an organization of doctors, nurses, PAs...
Free speech, cancel culture, and taking down statues
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"History cannot be changed and should not be erased. The First Amendment was placed first for a reason. It is the bedrock of our nation's ability to o...
A physician receives a derogatory email. Here's what she did next.
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"The disparity of women physicians in research is a systemic issue that should be mitigated appropriately. Women, especially minorities and immigran...
How physicians can be activists
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We dealt with the death, uncertainty, and fear of COVID-19 with a stiff upper lip. But our hearts broke when George Floyd was murdered by the police ...
COVID-19 misinformation is a public health crisis
11 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Government officials, regardless of political affiliation, should seek sound medical advice before communicating with their constituents. Appropriate...
What is the future of telehealth?
10 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Almost overnight, the COVID-19 pandemic has completely disrupted how we deliver primary care to patients. Before the pandemic, telehealth seemed to b...
Medical students are benched during the pandemic
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There is no single culprit responsible for this shift in medical education. However, two, in particular, should be noted. The first is the culture of...
How to minimize virtual medicine liability risk
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Telehealth has come into focus during the COVID-19 pandemic as physicians face an immediate need to reduce exposure by providing care—or at least t...
Human trafficking survivors and trauma-informed care
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As a physician working with human trafficking survivors, I have become accustomed to those with a history of surviving violence. But the patient in q...
A message from a pediatric emergency physician: Be kind
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As I read about Dr. Breen, saddened by the fact that we have been robbed of yet another young, promising, motivated physician, I am reminded that as ...
Patient advocacy is more important now than ever
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"In the best of times (and these are certainly not), all patients need advocates all the time; now more than ever, vulnerable patients need them more ...
It's so important for medical students to share their stories
04 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As a medical student, you find potential patients everywhere. Whether you're on an airplane or on a romantic dinner date, we've all heard those famou...
How coronavirus took my grandfather's life
03 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"One of the calls you dread making as a doctor is telling a family member their loved one is dying. That was the call I received when my grandfather d...
COVID-19 through the eyes of my kids
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Living the surreal experience of the COVID-19 pandemic challenges us on multiple levels. As a physician, I feel the responsibility to understand the ...
Inside the mind of a surgeon writer
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Explore why this general surgeon wrote a novel, and how writing helps with the stresses that accompany a surgery career. What is his #1 tip for those ...
This pulmonary physician has a message for you
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"To the people who say that wearing a mask perpetuates the conspiracy: Tell that to the health care workers who have put their lives at risk to face f...
My mother has Alzheimer's: a caregiver's story
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is caregiver burnout? How can you recognize the symptoms? What are tips for new caregivers? What can caregivers teach clinicians? R. Lynn Barnett...
Reflections of a critical care nurse
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Grandma Lilly is 87-years-old and in the ICU. She's on a ventilator with her wrists restrained to the side of the bed. Grandma can barely see because...
Lifestyle medicine is a prescription to treat physician burnout
27 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Lifestyle medicine equips practitioners with the tools to affect change. One of the biggest job satisfiers for physicians is positively impacting the...
Treating cancer patients in a pandemic
26 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As an oncologist, perhaps the hardest part I play is as witness. I am there to give a diagnosis that, more often than not, will alter someone's life ...
Incremental risk amid COVID-19 re-openings: What do we value most?
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Grocery shopping is not optional; it's necessary. But if you go every day and to multiple stores, you are increasing the chance you will be exposed. ...
Essential health messaging tips for physicians
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Advocacy by moms is not new, but advocacy by physicians has been less common. Moms have been fierce advocates on a variety of causes ranging from Mo...
A new approach to Medicare for all
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why should we reform the health care system to a physician-led approach? How will that look like? Would a Medicare for all system cure what ails the s...
In the age of misinformation, here's how physicians can help
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There are two battles waging from the COVID-19 virus this year: the obvious fight for human life but also the attack on science. During philosophical...
Meet the physician who became a life coach
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"For the past six months, I've spent my free time becoming a certified life coach. I'm a hospitalist, but a little more than a year ago, I was introdu...
Genetic testing: Could there be unintended consequences?
20 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Both clinical and direct-to-consumer genetic testing have become significantly less costly and more common, providing people with access to a wealth ...
Locum tenens contracts: Maximize opportunities and minimize risks
19 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Locum tenens means 'to hold the place of, to substitute for' and locum tenens contracts are a common form of agreement for physicians who provide tem...
Bridging the COVID-19 health recommendations divide
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Misinformation about COVID-19, if propagated, can be deadly. The stakes are high. Physicians need to have a voice in this discussion and work towards...
Patients without traditional support systems, and the doctors who stereotype them
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"When doctors ignore the evidence showing that a support system doesn't have to be traditional in order to be effective, that's not a medical judgment...
Is now the time for single payer?
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Single payer is the solution. And the time for it is now. A single-payer system would guarantee health care coverage immediately to every American. S...
Why cultural competency courses should be requisites for medical school
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Doctors are people, and people are capable of prejudice and discrimination. But, in medicine, there is no place for prejudice and discrimination beca...
When physicians get sick: We are just as human as the patients we treat
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"My experience with recent knee surgery that left me significantly disabled for over a month brought this to my attention yet again. I was completely ...
COVID-19 is rattling the nerves of preemie parents
13 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"With COVID-19, all of those memories have come flooding back. It is as if I am back in the NICU staring at that tiny infant and worried that she woul...
A palliative care physician's brain bleed
12 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As a runner, my pulse rests around fifty, but the ICU team had worried when it dipped to thirty-five, and my blood pressure hovered around ninety ove...
COVID-19 reveals gaping holes in locum tenens contracts
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I called the locum agency in the morning to air my concerns. To their credit, they admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event for ...
Health care should be apolitical, but it isn't
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"COVID-19 is a tragedy that could have easily been prevented if our leaders cared more about the well-being of their citizens instead of economies, st...
Anesthesia touches nearly every area of medicine
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I suppose those of us between zero and ninety-three are blessed in our own way as well. We are here, swirling in a jumble of the inconsequential and ...
Many medical marijuana program websites are silent about possible risks
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There are roughly 221 million people — including 48 million kids — in states where marijuana has been named a medicine. These include patients wh...
Rural communities have unique vulnerabilities worsened by the pandemic
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"While Imperial County faces a confluence of vulnerabilities that have led to its susceptibility during COVID-19, it is not alone. Like an insidious u...
Medicine's culture forces us to ignore our health
06 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Physicians are steeped in a noxious culture that seems to be averse to creating healthy physicians. We ignore mountains of evidence that show exercis...
Recognizing childhood stress is so important. Here's why.
05 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Advocate for the children in your community. Studies show that one of the most powerful buffering factors for kids experiencing toxic stress is havin...
A journey from security guard to nurse, and why nurses don't get the credit they deserve
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"The pharmacy department plays a vital role in hospitals. They prepare and dispense medications. Sometimes the pharmacist will receive an order from t...
Blowing the whistle on health care fraud
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Fraud in the health care industry is a fact of life. In 2016 alone, the federal government estimated that improper payments by Medicare and Medicai...
An infectious disease physician says: Wear a F-ing mask
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"In honor of one of the great classic novels, Go the F**k to Sleep, I would like to present to you my literary work: Stay the F@$k at Home. To the hea...
Virtual care needs to be designed for equitable usage and accessibility
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Although technology and disruptive innovation theoretically diminish systemic barriers and geographic isolation, in practice, they frequently widen c...
Making a career change for better work-life balance
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Is it possible to have it all? Can you have a job that you love, helping people and using your brain and hands all at the same time; plus, a family...
Estate planning and personal finance tips for physicians
30 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"With COVID-19 raging through the nation, and limited supply of PPE at hospitals, doctors and other critical care personnel are at high risk due to th...
How to help families struggling to find their way in a foreign culture
29 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We are blessed to work in a clinic that has a very large immigrant population. Over the years, we have cared for those who speak over 80+ languages w...
AI-powered, digital voice assistants in the exam room
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Building great tech for doctors is no different from ventilator technology. In some scenarios, you will want to talk to the EMR like you talk to Siri...
How COVID-19 impacts rural America
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We all knew this pandemic was going to change how we practiced medicine, but I, personally, was not prepared for how much it would challenge the 'wor...
Physician personal development and growth
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"COVID-19 has given all of us the opportunity to live in extremely challenging times. We can choose to run away from this challenge or decide to ackno...
Challenges female physicians face in medicine and the strength of vulnerability
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I know I am not alone in my thoughts; I am just echoing sentiments of other female physicians. We are mothers, wives, patient advocates, and educator...
Remembering Kobe Bryant and what basketball can teach us in medicine
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Through my coaching of girl's basketball in California's Central Valley, my daughter and I were fortunate enough to know Kobe as a mentor and coach, ...
Now is not the time for medical students to be spectators
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It is time to stop being spectators. We are at a critical turning point in our fight against this disease, and our actions now will determine whether...
Why physician advocacy is so important
22 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We need to stay healthy for our patients, but also for ourselves and our families. We need to mobilize the faction not just with regard to this pande...
Pediatric practices face financial strain
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Physicians are trained to do what is best for their patients and to do no harm. Independent practices have sat quietly watching, feeling hopeless as ...
Do patients addicted to drugs truly have capacity?
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We care for patients suffering from addictions every shift and are often the only care providers they can turn to. Despite our best efforts, we are o...
Why telemedicine needs to be a permanent part of Medicare
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"While preparing to assist our patients in the emergency rooms and dedicated COVID-19 wards, our clinic continues to triage patient concerns, creates ...
A medical student graduates with a lack of closure
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I initially fell into the dangerous grief and shame spiral. I shoved these feelings of loss deep down and let shame bubble up. How could I legitimize...
A psychiatrist's telemedicine experience
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I propose Zooming while driving be added to the DSM criteria for ADHD. I have gotten a new glimpse into the world of some of my patients. One patient...
Why it's so important for medical students and physicians to write and share their stories
16 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I wrote a 55-word story in solidarity with my medical students and colleagues I had invited to share their lived experiences during COVID-19 on our S...
A need to deregulate buprenorphine prescriptions
15 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"With COVID-19, we have both the unique opportunity and need to deregulate buprenorphine prescriptions. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...
Medical education and engaging children in wearing masks
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Children are being encouraged to take on the superhero persona and help protect others. They do this in true average-person-as-the-superhero style ...
Palliative care during the pandemic
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We are health care workers. We are doctors, advanced care practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and so much more. We are on the frontli...
Coronavirus exposes income-driven health inequality
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It's maddening to see the differences in health outcomes between the rich and the poor. Even more unsettling is reflecting upon the psychological pai...
How to manage pandemic anxiety
11 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Since the coronavirus outbreak, reports of anxiety have increased, especially among physicians. Physicians face numerous stressors, including fears of...
Gender inequities and being a physician-mom
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds day by day at an exponential rate, we as doctors have been called to duty in unprecedented ways. Speak with any phys...
Flattening the curve of COVID's emotional impact
09 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Based on the evidence of the effects of trauma, we can predict that our health care teams, patients and families will exhibit signs of this assault t...
A screenwriting dermatologist shares the importance of creativity in medicine
08 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Someday, I suspect I will recount this time of fear with mixed emotions. Sadly, there are people who have died and more to come, and this time will...
COVID's impact on the Hispanic community
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"All of our patients, but especially our most vulnerable Spanish-speaking patients, need to hear concrete, meaningful, and practical instructions on h...
A COVID-19 conversation with 2 cardiologists
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Trainees like myself travel great distances from home in pursuit of higher edification. Yet the coronavirus makes us worry about the aged family we l...
How medical students can contribute during the pandemic
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We do not have to continue to blame external forces for the stresses upon us now. By organizing, mobilizing, and finding solutions to the problems fa...
It is not OK for physicians' anxieties to harm their patients
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It is OK to be scared, but it is not OK to let our own anxieties harm our patients. As we tackle the numerous crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic...
Doctors shouldn't feel ashamed for wanting to protect themselves or their family
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Although I personally hope to continue to be at or near the frontlines, I understand those that are in a compromised position, and they shouldn't fee...
Patient no-shows often have complicated reasons behind them
02 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I typed up a brief response to the no show memo, hit reply, and then deleted the original message. It's not that I am a fan of wasting time and resou...
Practice empathy and compassion for the critically ill and dying
01 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It seems as though the looming reality for many of us is that we will have patients who need ventilators, and none will be available. It seems like w...
If you want to be a physician-inventor, here's what you should know
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"If you have an employment agreement with a provision on intellectual property, have it reviewed by an attorney before you begin applying for patents....
Pain management's painfully fine line
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I find that managing chronic pain can be a bit of a dance between myself and the patient. Sometimes a little bit of a compromise. I always tell my pa...
A physician embraces the power of the word, "and"
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"I struggle for words to describe life in the season of COVID-19. Depending on the day, I need at least a few adjectives: 'peculiar,' 'fine, all thing...
How physicians can share health information and manage dissent online
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am both hopeful and inspired as well as disappointed. I see those angry that their ideas or opinions conflict...
What physicians today can learn from the history of surgery
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Billroth spent long hours dissecting cadavers and planning on surgical interventions. He was able to pioneer abdominal surgery with careful preparati...
Physicians and the psychological trauma of COVID-19
26 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As COVID-19 devastates America and the world, I hope that fundamental change to our health care system results from its horrific exposé. Without COV...
Social isolation in the elderly
25 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"COVID-19 has rapidly spread across the nation, leading to the implementation of stringent social distancing guidelines by local and regional authorit...
Why storytelling and writing are so important in medicine
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"They needed the final story to let go of her body, yet retain her spirit. Looking back on it, that's when I saw the greatest honor of all — the eve...
Tips for applying to medical school in a pandemic
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"If you are finding yourself with trouble studying or focusing due to the state of the world, or due to changing circumstances in your own household, ...
Meet the physician who left concierge medicine
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Much is written about the advantages for primary care physicians and patients of working within a retainer model, direct primary care, concierge-type...
Obesity and the diet-microbiome connection: a conversation with a gastroenterologist
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What should patients know about diet and its effects on the microbiome? How should primary care clinicians address diet and its effects on the microbi...