Category: COVID-19 / coronavirus

How the COVID-19 pandemic is traumatizing health care professionals

Many of us (especially psychiatrists and physician coaches) have been warning the medical profession at large for weeks now that we are headed for unprecedented numbers of physicians, nurses, other health care workers, and first responders suffering fr…

A chaplain’s reflections in long-term care in the early days of COVID-19

Astor lies in a reclining wheelchair, surrounded by community, gathered for morning prayer. A rosary,  woven between folded fingers rests upon her belly. Astor murmurs: “Help me. Help me. I am all alone.” Today, the last Friday in March, I am assisting…

After you finish reading articles on the internet, I will be here to treat you

With the rise of the internet, people started exploring ways to get medical advice online. The medical community was initially humored by this development, thinking it is a cute way for patients to look up their symptoms before coming to see us, their …

Why direct primary care is thriving in COVID-19

I grew up a New York Yankees baseball fan in the fifties and sixties. Among the many stars on the Yankees, none became more famous for one-liners and quips than #8, Yogi Berra.  Yogi’s famous reminder, “It ain’t over til it’s over,” seems so fitt…

I’m a physician during a pandemic. Please don’t ask me how I’m doing.

When I wear a mask over my face, I am protecting both of us. When I wear a mask over my feelings, I am protecting both of us, too. When you ask me, “How are you doing?” this is why I have no answer. Four days a week, I have a (currently mos…

In this pandemic, the reality is bigger than any headline

In January, we learned of an emerging threat in China, a variant of the frightening SARS virus, but worse—more infectious. Since then, we learned China, the first to both see and successfully manage its outbreak, seriously under-detected the disease. A…

COVID is not a great equalizer

Some media outlets and public figures have heralded the ongoing pandemic as a great equalizer, referencing the pathogen’s indiscriminate spread and disregard for national borders and tax brackets. The sobering mortality statistics, however, dispe…

I have been thinking a lot about Dr. Lorna Breen

Dr. Lorna Breen, an ER physician in New York City, killed herself after working the front lines in the pandemic.  Her death has created a call to action.  The headlines read that healthcare workers are suffering; they are heroes; they need support.  Dr…

The safe return to elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital for the economic viability of health systems

A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. It is the ultimate irony that health care professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic are among the highest risk, not only for exposure to the deadly v…

Will the pandemic derail medical students’ career paths?

As I sit here and stare at my computer screen for the 11th hour today, my attention has drifted from my hypothetical study material to reality. Over the past two months, I’ve spent hours on WebEx lectures as opposed to learning from patients, hours on …