“Do you get compassion fatigue when you take care of smokers or patients with obesity or diabetes?” This was in reply to an article on compassion fatigue I had posted on my Facebook page. The article was written by an exhausted physician ca…
Category: Infectious disease
Honor your oath. Set boundaries. Demand respect.
This morning, while scrolling through social media, I encountered a resounding theme. Multiple physicians posting about being challenged, disrespected, and made to feel worthless by the very people they were trying to help: their patients. Being brough…
Looking at the studies behind masks
With the recent onset of the Delta variant rendering havoc on an already strained economy and weary population post- the rabid COVID-19 surge, there is much debate on effective policies that negate the harmful outcomes of viral acquisition. The B.1.617…
When clinicians are bullied at a school board meeting [PODCAST]
“The first amendment protects your right to free speech. But it does not make you more right, more ethical, or more kind. And nor does it give one license to rewrite history as has been occurring since July 27th, adding insult to our experience. …
A COVID long-hauler shares her story
According to the WHO, 10 to 20 percent of COVID-19 patients experience lingering symptoms for several months following infection. What we know as long COVID is now termed post-COVID condition as of October 6. Post COVID-19 condition occurs in individua…
HIV/AIDS vaccine underscores need for better health access
“HIV has been a blessing in my life.” Lola was a 48-year-old woman living in Denver when I interviewed her in 2002 about her HIV-positive diagnosis. She said the diagnosis improved her life in important ways; she had received income and hou…
Is COVID a turning point for sustainability in hospital supply chains? [PODCAST]
“Scarcity has, in many ways, defined the COVID-19 experience in the U.S., from shortages in personal protective equipment to ICU ventilators and hospital capacity, to COVID test kits, to drugs like Remdesivir in hard-hit states. These shortages h…
Trapped in a cauldron of suffering, medical staff are weary
Sometimes I really look forward to something new. An alien race arriving on earth would be a nice start. I think we could all use a change in the news cycle. Because I am very tired of thinking about, talking about, and especially treating COVID-19. In…
Clinicians are diamonds in the rough
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, diamonds are formed deep within the earth, about one hundred miles down in the upper mantle. As you might imagine, it is quite hot in that part of the planet, and there is a tremendous amount of pressure bearing d…
5 technologies that will transform medicine post-COVID
When medical historians write about the coronavirus pandemic, they’ll likely focus on the slow U.S. response and failures of leadership that led to a tragically high death toll. But that will be only part of the story. From the wreckage and devastation…
