Category: KevinMD

Pledge to end your fear of death and end-of-life care

Are you or a loved one aging, perhaps with a chronic heart or lung condition that limits daily activities? Do you have an older parent in a nursing home or who needs assistance with daily living activities? If so, read on and make the pledge. As physic…

Why do patients call me by my first name?

For the past several years, I have been befuddled by patients calling me by my first name (Sara) instead of my professional title (Dr. Jones). At first, I ignored this, but as it became more common, I started telling some of these patients that I prefe…

49 ways to stay out of my ER

I’m an ER doc. I care for patients. All patients: Those who need to be in the ER; those who don’t; those who wouldn’t be there if they knew better. For them, for you and for fun, I’ve got some tips to keep you happy, safe and away from my ER. Enjoy. 1….

Physicians can choose not to be powerless against opioid addiction

I didn’t become a primary care doctor to treat opioid addiction. I wasn’t trained for it. To be honest, it scared me. But when you work, like I do, at a clinic that serves a lot of people who have little money or who struggle with mental health and sub…

A scribe’s haunting view of emergency medicine

If you’re in the emergency department, it’s probably the worst day of your life. You’re scared, confused, anxious, sad, maybe emotionally numb. You were at home with your husband and witnessed him have a cardiac arrest. He was unresponsive, and he wasn…

How does radiation therapy work? A radiation oncologist explains.

Most patients have an idea of how surgery and chemotherapy work.  It’s not difficult to picture a surgeon cutting out a cancer or a medical oncologist prescribing chemotherapy.  But how does radiation therapy work?  For the vast majority of patients, a…

Motrin vs. Tylenol for children: A pediatrician explains

As a pediatrician, I am asked by worried parents about what they should give their child with a fever, Motrin (ibuprofen) or Tylenol (acetaminophen) to bring down the temperature daily. This question always requires more than a one-word response to the…

10 commandments to help with palliative care messaging

Studies show that when people know what palliative care is, they want it. Marketing genius Seth Godin talks about offering services that are “remarkable” — so good that a person would cross the street to tell a friend. Palliative care has that kind of …

Keeping the art of medical satire alive

Sequels generally disappoint. Jason couldn’t match the fear he generated in the original Friday the 13th. The sequel to the “Parachute,” a satirical piece canvassing PubMed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing parachutes to placebo, matche…

Social isolation is a health risk

More than two-thirds of Americans use social media, and 90 percent of adults in the U.S. have a cell phone. With these tools surrounding us, we must be more connected with one another than ever before. Right? It doesn’t feel like we are. At least, the …