<span itemprop="author">Michele Luckenbaugh

Author's posts

Why is our health care system going down the drain and no one seems to care?

I want to express my frustration with the state of health care in the United States, particularly in the context of my own experiences within the system. Over the past 12 years, I have submitted articles to KevinMD advocating for quality patient care a…

Health care’s breaking point: patients and physicians abandoned

I know you are wounded, as I am also injured. It is as if we have been battered and bruised and kicked to the side of the road, left there alone to suffer. An ignored problem will soon be forgotten; at least, that is their contention. We have screamed …

Health care in turmoil: costs, shortages, and pandemic strains

Health care in the United States is in a state of turmoil. Many Americans are struggling to pay for health care. Even if they have health insurance, many have to pay high out-of-pocket copayments and, in the end, feel that what they do pay for is not w…

Inside the cancer waiting room where hope hangs in the balance

I sat there, frozen in time, full of fear, full of anxiety. Waiting for my time to “face the music,” but this wasn’t a dance party. My fellow patients, complete strangers, were seated about me, and each of us kept a safe distance apar…

From trusted family doctors to silent white walls

The face of health care in today’s world is unfamiliar to me in many ways. When I was growing up, the family doctor was a well-known and respected member of the community. Patients trusted their doctor to help them navigate life’s challenge…

Clinicians and management at odds in health care

In a survey conducted by a University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing team led by Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, of 21,050 physicians and nurses at 60 hospitals, it was found that more than 40 percent of clinicians were not confident that hospital management …

The harsh reality of dementia

Dementia is a general term for diseases affecting memory, thinking, or decision-making, impacting daily activities. Someone in the world develops dementia, on average, every 3 seconds. That’s 10 million new cases of dementia each year worldwide. …

The toll of health care: suicide risk among professionals

Our health care workers—nurses, physicians, and support staff—are at a heightened risk of committing suicide. Plain and simple. The emotional and physical toll on our health care professionals has been ever-increasing, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic…

Navigating your first MRI: tips and insights

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is a commonly used form of imaging to help diagnose conditions that might not be visible in an X-ray. The MRI scanner is a large cylindrical tube-shaped machine that creates a strong magnetic force and radio waves to…

Nature’s role in relieving physician burnout

In today’s corporate health care world, physicians are exposed to high levels of stress in the course of carrying out the duties of their profession, making them susceptible to experiencing burnout. Burnout has far-reaching implications not only …