One patient at Denver Health, the city’s largest safety-net hospital, occupied a bed for more than four years — a hospital record of 1,558 days. Another admitted for a hard-to-treat bacterial infection needed eight weeks of at-home IV antibiotics, but …
Category: KevinMD
Second-tier, off-label treatments for anxiety
In previous posts, we have reviewed the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), as well as the off-label prescribing of gabapentinoids, for treating anxiety disorders. Anxiety is …
Why one residency program did 150,000 push-ups in 10 weeks
At the start of the year, our program director asked, “What if we challenge every resident in the program to do 5,000 push-ups?” We were immediately interested. After discussing logistics and socializing the idea, the #5KPushUpChallenge was started: Ov…
Physician office notes should have an executive summary
I have advocated before for putting a visit synopsis at the beginning of each visit note. I have called that the aSOAP note. I think that works immensely better than APSO notes that only rearrange the order of the elements. The reason I say that is tha…
Interns: You’re not alone, until you are
During intern orientation a few months ago, they promised we would never be alone in the hospital. And they were right. Until they weren’t. It’s hard to see colors in the dark — that’s why he looks blue. That’s strange; it almost seems like his chest i…
How physician burnout hurts patients
On Saturday morning at the breakfast table surrounded by my husband and kids, I suddenly felt chest pain, palpitations, and was about to collapse. Being an internist, I knew it: arrhythmia. Paramedics at arrival confirmed it. I was running ventricular …
Being oversensitive to others’ opinions can be harmful
We all want to get home as quickly and safely as possible at the end of the day. The other day — as I braked for a red light and turned my right blinker on — I not only looked to see if cars were coming from the left but also checked my rearview mirror…
We don’t just have cancer. We have a whole life to live.
When asking about a potentially overwhelming side-effect of an impending new medication, my nurse told me, “Don’t worry until you get there.” OK, I get it. I just didn’t die from breast cancer. I’ve had worse. But come on….
Should physicians pay down debt or invest? Here’s a Star Trek explanation.
I am often asked the question, “Is it better to pay down debt or invest?” It is uncanny how often this question comes up. This question is asked as if those were the only two options to choose from. I never hear, “Should I go on a three week trip to Pa…
Burnout in fashion and medicine: A fashion designer turned physician compares notes
“Fashion Is Moving Too Fast, and It’s Killing Creativity,” by Veronique Hyland, talks about burnout in the fashion industry. As a former Fashion Designer turn physician, my curiosity was peaked. If you substituted the word “medicine” …
