Category: KevinMD

Political games are destroying our national state of health

Lately, I have been contemplating the growing political divide in this country. We seem perpetually locked in a state of partisan gridlock. Our nation is stuck in a continuous news cycle dominated by party politics. This perpetuates party divisions and…

$34,000 to save mothers and their children from postpartum depression

A swimming pool. Most of a Tesla. Not nearly enough to have your kid swapped out during their sham SAT test. Nor would an ICU bill for a stay that resulted in survival — $48,744 is the cost of that. What costs an alarming amount more is the bill the US…

The isolation and loneliness that physicians experience

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. We are just now beginning to recognize the impact of isolation and loneliness on the health of our patients. Recent cultural and societal changes have led to markedly incre…

Communities can help women cope with maternal depression

When a baby is born, people stop acting like themselves. Gruff grown-ups make goofy faces at infants. Nostalgic moms share their birthing experiences with pregnant strangers. Shy kids clamber onto strollers of babies they don’t know, just to coo at new…

Where is the nurses’ lounge?

If you have worked in the hospital setting for any length of time, you likely are aware of the physicians’ lounge. It’s the protected space where the hard-working medical staff can escape to catch a break or grab a hot beverage. The physicians&#8…

Death through the eyes of a medical student

Growing up, I was discouraged from becoming a doctor; I was too emotional. My mother, a geriatrician, worried about my attachment to patients and the volatility of inpatient medicine. To some degree, I understood her concerns; I’m tearful during goodby…

Wellness initiatives can start in the medical library

Wellness initiatives are not always yoga or nutrition advice or Zumba classes. They can also be filling clinicians’ requests or solving their problems. I first realized this when a social worker included receiving full-text articles that she requ…

Our terrifying chickenpox problem

A Kentucky judge rejected the claims made by a teenager who sued his local health department for temporarily barring students at his school who aren’t immune against chickenpox from attending classes and participating in extracurricular activitie…

If medical students are already experiencing burnout, how are they going to survive residency?

My interest in understanding burnout among medical trainees started during my second year of medical school. With Step 1 nearing, I noticed a dynamic shift in my classmates. The growing tension, petty arguments, and constant worry surrounding our futur…

How this physician reconnects with nature

On this beautiful spring day, “Nature is my medicine,” wrote Sara Moss Wolfe. And yes it is mine as well. As Albert Einstein stated, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Some days that reassurance is all it takes to …