Category: KevinMD

What do we do when guidelines come crashing into the real world?

Every day, as we care for our patients, we are placed in a unique position, where we are armed with the world of literature, randomized controlled trials, society recommendations, national screening and practice guidelines, and more, working to prompt …

Innovative approaches to solve physician burnout

Health care organizations are moving to address clinician burnout with a real sense of urgency. It is now commonly accepted that burnout is widespread among health care professionals and has serious repercussions for patient safety and the quality of c…

Narcotics are not necessary for recovery after plastic surgery

When it comes to plastic surgery, I have found that many people — doctors included — expect post-surgical pain, so they plan for that assumption. This means preparing for days, weeks, or months of narcotics use. This mode of thinking begins…

Bias when treating supporters of President Trump

President Donald Trump held a rally near my medical school last week. While sitting in a small conference room during a lecture the morning of the event, my professor chuckled while clutching his phone. He looked up and around at all of us, remarking t…

A physician’s love-hate relationship with her pager

When my colleagues and I reported for new intern orientation 19 years ago, we were given navy scrubs emblazoned with the residency program’s logo, a couple of creased and blindingly clean white coats, and, of course, a standard issue pager. I will admi…

Should medical residents appear in reality TV shows?

This notice appeared on a general surgery news website in early February. I don’t know who has been long anticipating this, but I’m pretty sure it’s not people on medical Twitter. My informal, nonscientific Twitter poll garnered 707 votes with 87 perce…

How medicine rose up to the challenge of the AIDS epidemic

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. In the run-up to the Academy Awards this year, like many people I made a concerted effort to see most of the top-nominated pictures.  Of particular interest was Bohemian Rh…

Regret medical school? Here are 3 things you can do.

This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com. It’s normal to daydream about living a life very different from our own: “What would life be like if I were Beyonce?” “Would I have the same worries if I were a trapeze artist…

MKSAP: 52-year-old woman with shortness of breath

Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 52-year-old woman is evaluated during a follow-up visit. She was discharged from the hospital 3 weeks ago following a small non–ST-elevatio…

Our doctors are feeling the emotional burden of the state of health care

Death is an inevitable part of the journey of life. We all have experienced its effects: the death of a family member, the death of a friend or those special individuals who we might have barely known but who left an indelible mark upon our consciousne…