Category: KevinMD

Medical workplace bullying: We just want it to stop

Health care is increasingly complex. Objective peer review, constructive feedback, and robust debate are essential to continually improve the quality of patient care. But doctors don’t always disagree well. One of the contributing factors to bullying i…

A mysterious case of seizures in the ER

Alex and Edward Santos have just returned from a weekend away at their aunt and uncle’s place. They love it there. The couple is in their 20s and spoil the boys with late bedtimes, movies and video games, and home-made cupcakes with chocolate icing and…

Medical breakthrough headlines are over the top

Patients should have as much access to information as possible. The more they know — the more informed decisions about their health and life that can be made. However, faulty headlines about new therapies are infiltrating news outlets left and right. M…

Why didn’t your doctors tell you the truth?

Here’s what they should have told you: “We found cancer in your lymph nodes, your liver, your lungs, and your brain. It explains your weight loss, your difficulty breathing and your loss of appetite. This wasn’t just your depression l…

Why is health insurance so unaffordable?

Honestly, I have never been a big fan of insurance. I am not much of a gambler, and paying for insurance feels like betting on my own misfortune. I have never purchased insurance for a cell phone or appliance. I would rather save the money and make an …

A medical student’s first day. The memories last forever.

On an early August morning in 2010, my alarm clock went off. The day had finally arrived. Today was my first day as a medical student at the university I had always wanted to attend. High school had ended just a couple of months before, and today I fel…

Vaccinating your child is a matter of trust

I did my medical school training in a country where I saw many children die every day from preventable illnesses. Measles, diarrhea, and malnutrition were the norm. I still have vivid memories of a young child dying in my arms of severe diarrhea and de…

A patient that reminded me of the first man I ever witnessed dying

He struggled to breathe, progressing from deep breaths with wet sounds reverberating in his lungs, to guppy breathing — opening the mouth like a fish, contorting the entire face. His heart rate slowly decreased, from 150 beats a minute — a pace attempt…

The physician who is a poor conversationalist

This article concerns what I call the poor conversationalist. There are several common versions of this, and all of them have corresponding parallels in nonmedical settings. Often the most basic difficulty is one of manner. A good conversationalist is …

What should you consider when establishing a peer-mentoring relationship?

Mentorship is a common topic in medicine. We, as a profession, spend significant time discussing, attending workshops about, and researching the role of mentorship. Mentorship is key to personal development, career choice, and improved academic product…