I sometimes work as a church security volunteer. And when I do it, I get to simply stand and watch. Watch for someone sick or injured (we have defibrillators and wound care equipment). Watch for someone coming to cause harm. Watch in order to call …
Category: KevinMD
Changes are coming to health care in 2020. Are you ready?
Of the nation’s 3.5 trillion in annual health care spending, 90 percent is for people with chronic and mental health conditions. How long can this continue? Can health care institutes afford not to engage in the 2020 wave of preventative care health ca…
What Karl Marx can teach doctors about burnout
Professional burnout is widely identified using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which defines it along psychological lines: emotional exhaustion, a feeling of depersonalization and cynicism, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. Accordingly, the p…
This patient interaction is a reminder of the power of being human
During a day of shadowing during my first year of medical school, the physician I was following had been running behind schedule and instructed me to keep the final patient company until he caught up. I knocked on the door and found myself facing a wid…
A medical student recognizes the power of the phrase, “I don’t know”
I’ve often been struck by a painting of Maimonides in my medical school. The artwork features him holding pages of a book that say, “Teach thy tongue to say I do not know and thou shalt progress.” That quote resonates with me more each day. As a first-…
The problem with the word, “noncompliance”
The issue of noncompliance comes up repeatedly in patient care. Whether in the context of primary care or allied health care, in most situations, patients seem unreasonable and irresponsible when it comes to taking their medication, attending consultat…
I carry you in my heart
I carry you in my heart. Not your cold and quiet and still little body. No. I carry the you that I never knew. The you that your parents grieve. The you that will never grow up. The you that laughed and played that nobody new will ever meet again. I c…
Setting the facts straight about The Joint Commission’s stance on food and drink
A spirited discussion erupted over The Joint Commission’s role in prohibiting food in patient care areas: “Taking food and drink away from doctors and nurses is just cruel.” The rumor that The Joint Commission is the enforcer of food and dr…
A neurosurgeon makes 3 resolutions for 2020
The start of a new decade seems more meaningful than the beginning of other new years. I tend to think more long-range at these mileposts. For 2020, I’ve made three resolutions that I hope will have a positive impact on my life for years to come:…
10 common doctor financial blunders
It’s OK to make mistakes in life. That’s the only way to learn. Hopefully, the major mistakes get made earlier in life so that we have less to lose and more time to “make up” for faltering. But hey, life wouldn’t be interesting if challenges aren’t p…
