Category: KevinMD

An infectious disease doctor answers your COVID-19 and coronavirus questions

Being a specialist in infectious diseases right now is an interesting experience. Added to the usual challenges of our everyday practice — caring for people receiving transplants or chemotherapy, those with HIV, surgical infections, tropical diseases, …

6 months of probation: Taking care of someone with alcohol-related liver disease

“Are you my doctor?” Mary* asked me, as I, a resident physician, approached her bed. “Yes, I am one of the primary medical doctors taking care of you here,” I confirmed with my standard, pre-scripted introduction — with little a…

6 months of probation: Taking care of someone with alcohol-related liver disease

“Are you my doctor?” Mary* asked me, as I, a resident physician, approached her bed. “Yes, I am one of the primary medical doctors taking care of you here,” I confirmed with my standard, pre-scripted introduction — with little a…

The physician and the sacred art of medicine

Corpses. A sea of corpses. The smell of death was unmistakable. Its pungent odor snaked around corridors and made its way to the basement, where we stood in line to go up to the anatomy lab for the first time. My heart was racing. All along the walls w…

Do patients addicted to drugs truly have capacity?

Is it time to rethink how we determine the capacity of our patients who are addicted to drugs?  I recently began debating this question after I took care of a young woman with endocarditis.  She had a long history of IV drug abuse that had led to the d…

A doctor’s COVID-19 advice to physician leaders

I work as the medical director for a non-profit agency that serves people who are currently or formerly homeless. I am trained as a psychiatrist and have previously worked in local government. I live in the county in Washington State, where people have…

Doctors: It’s OK to sometimes suck

I’m here today to let you in on a little secret. It’s not something that I’m particularly proud of, and it’s work that I’m always trying to improve upon. But it’s true. And today you’re about to find out someth…

Seattle is at risk for explosive coronavirus growth

The coronavirus outbreak in the Seattle area is at a critical juncture and could see explosive growth in cases much like Wuhan, China, if public officials don’t take immediate, forceful measures, according to a new analysis of genetic data. The author …

Surgery is nothing short of a stupendous magic act

An excerpt from The Invention of Surgery: A History of Modern Medicine: From the Renaissance to the Implant Revolution. Johns Hopkins University was unlike anything ever built. Armed with an enormous endowment from a wealthy industrialist, the hospital…

A physician’s chilling COVID-19 diagnostic journey

We watched as the new viral outbreak happened in a remote place in China, wondering if this would be a quick flameout or if Mother Nature would again exert her majesty on us mortals. My associate, Madilyn, and I watched with more interest, knowing that…