Category: Hospital-Based Medicine

Medical errors and the power of apologies [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we talk to Amber Gipson-Fine, a project manager, about her personal experience with a medical error and the importance of medical apologies. March was Endometriosis Awarene…

Raw humanity on night float: inspiring patient encounters and overcoming challenges

Night float had always been this mythical monster to me, an intimidating prospect that conjured up some of my greatest fears about a residency rotation – jetlag, nocturnal clock, lack of continuity with patients or a day team, multiple pagers and multi…

Reflections on 500 patients, unique cases, and making a difference in health care

As I reflect on my first year of residency, it’s hard to believe that I’ve cared for nearly 500 patients spanning across multiple departments; floor medicine, ICU, ER, neurology, cardiology, and surgery. I’ve had the opportunity to pe…

The cannabis education gap: Why patients are left in the dark

Imagine that you are suffering from chronic pain. The pain keeps you awake at night so you don’t get much sleep. Lack of sleep most nights and the ensuing chronic fatigue causes you some anxiety during the day. Your primary care physician suggests that…

Psychological safety: the unspoken key to health care success [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we are joined by clinical psychologist and health systems leadership consultant, Nicola F. De Paul, to discuss the importance of psychological safety in health care environ…

When peer review goes wrong: the impact on physicians’ civil and constitutional rights [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join us for this episode with guest Farid Gharagozloo, a cardiothoracic surgeon, as we discuss the unintended consequences of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 (HCQIA). While …

Medical autonomy: the untold struggles of employed doctors

Physicians caught in the tentacles of employment as a means of possibly earning higher incomes and, unfortunately, believing such a platform of medical practice is the panacea of satisfaction and reaching your medical practice expectations that permeat…

The culture of my health care organization is broken. Is there hope?

A strong organizational culture is considered the secret sauce of successful organizations. But the Latin term, “Abyssus Abyssum Invocat” (“One Hell Calls Forth Another”), explains perfectly why it is increasingly difficult to m…

Physicians cry too: 6 tips for coping with death and grief as a health care worker

“FYI, your patient died.” This message from another physician sat in my Epic inbox. Feelings of disappointment and sadness surfaced as I prepared to start my overnight shift in the emergency department. The death of a child simplified to an…

When losing a patient is more than just a defeat: a doctor’s story

“I feel tired,” said Mr. T. Mr. T was a 72-year-old man who came to our ED. For the last three days, he had been passing reddish urine. Two weeks before this, he had a bout of bronchitis that did not require hospitalization, just ciprofloxa…