Category: KevinMD

The growing role of end-of-life activists

Brittany Maynard was diagnosed with grade 2 astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer on January 1, 2014, her cancer also returned in April 2014, where her diagnosis was elevated to grade 4 astrocytoma, also known as glioblastoma, with a prognosis of just si…

Are penicillin allergies fake news?

Penicillin allergies are fake news. More than 95 percent of people with penicillin allergies are not allergic.  A recent article highlighted the opportunity anethesiologists have in helping evaluate beta-lactam allergies, in particular to cephalosporin…

What should physicians do when patients are racist?

Our team is nearing the end of our call day when the ER pages us with one last admission. The ER attending starts with an apology — “I’m sorry,” she sighs, “this patient is a handful. He is homeless, belligerent, has a significant psychiatric history. …

How the war on opioids has harmed some patients

In a recent article for Pain Medicine News, “4 Steps Every Provider Must Take Before Prescribing an Opioid,” two lawyers detail the voluminous documentation doctors must collect and maintain to protect themselves against all these new anti-…

“The Wait” after a mammogram changes lives

There is something both intimate and mysterious about the waiting area for mammograms. You sit in a relatively small space; chairs close together with a gown tied to cover your nakedness, your normally restrained lady parts flopping free against the sc…

For most, the flu is a misery, not an emergency

If you think that you might have the flu, don’t head to the emergency room at the first sign of fever. Emergency departments were created to handle emergencies – heart attacks, strokes, severe trauma, and other life-threatening emergencies. No matter h…

Male physicians don’t have to choose between family or career

“Didn’t you just have a baby? When are you going to stop?” Those words weren’t directed to me but to a colleague by a patient’s parent who was frustrated that they wouldn’t be able to see her for follow-up. Yet, they could have easily been uttered by a…

The problem with high-potency marijuana

Advocates for the legalization of medical and retail marijuana are quick to point out all the possible benefits that a community might see from such a venture. These include increased jobs, increased tax revenue, possible medical benefits and they adve…

A story of treatment failure and end-of-life decisions

Part 4 of a series. By the time my father’s metastatic prostate cancer was diagnosed, he was already experiencing symptoms of poor appetite and weight loss, which grew progressively worse following his first hospital admission. As his nutritional statu…

Negotiation tips for new doctors

In an ideal world, we should all be compensated fairly for our services and skills.  The reality, as we all experience, is an amalgam of mistakes and victories.  One hopes that with time our skills will translate to a greater number of victories.  Most…