Category: KevinMD

Is shared decision-making applicable to only a minuscule fraction of encounters?

I recently attended a cardiology conference where a speaker proudly presented a case of shared decision-making.  It involved a young female athlete who had survived a cardiac arrest and was diagnosed as having an anomaly in her heart conduction system,…

A physician mother and how her heart shattered

My heart broke a little this week. When you want to grow a muscle, you have to damage it first. You have to lift something heavy and overextend it. It’s sore for a few days — and then it grows stronger. That is what happened to my heart. My oldes…

Keeping up with the rapid developments in mobile health technology

I had the opportunity to participate in a day-long meeting sponsored by the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). The goal was to help HRS develop recommendations for physicians and industry on providing patients access to information generated by wearable and i…

We can empower patients by validating their perceptions

I am a mother. A wife. A daughter. A sister. A friend. I am a doctor. I am a runner.  Just like everyone, there are many pieces to my core identity. These are the traits that encompass the fixed view I hold of myself.  These ring true for me, even when…

Diagnosed with prostate cancer? You must ask these 10 questions.

Prostate cancer often presents unique challenges to patients and physicians alike. It can be indolent and non-aggressive — or life-threatening and everything in between. Unlike most cancers that have a dedicated roadmap for treatment for prostate cance…

What the FDA forgets in the battle against e-cigarettes

How can we forget John Bender from The Breakfast Club? How can we forget his tousled wave of chestnut hair, cutoff lumberjack shirt, emanating cool with a cigarette perpetually in hand? In light of the 78 percent rise in e-cigarette use by high school …

How a young girl helped me find the light in pediatrics

“You’re going to fall in love with her,” the nurse warned me, as I stood outside my eleven-year-old patient’s room ready to wake her up for surgery pre-rounds at 5:30 a.m. I offered back a tired smile and knocked on the door timidly. “Naomi?” I whisper…

How a young girl helped me find the light in pediatrics

“You’re going to fall in love with her,” the nurse warned me, as I stood outside my eleven-year-old patient’s room ready to wake her up for surgery pre-rounds at 5:30 a.m. I offered back a tired smile and knocked on the door timidly. “Naomi?” I whisper…

Why this physician doesn’t dress down when rounding on weekends

I’ve always believed in looking the part as a physician. So much so that I even write about it! You may have read my piece that became widely circulated online, about why physicians should always dress to impress. The article generated quite a response…

Why we need more physician entrepreneurs

Three years ago, I had a massive, life-changing event. It passed with little notice; it was beyond banal and happened while eating sushi with a colleague in a landlocked state. Here I am with a young patient at the direct primary care practice I opened…