Nearly 50 years have passed since the first published mention of physician burnout. Clinical psychologist Herbert Freudenberger described the “excessive demands on energy, strength or resources” and wrote of how it resulted in “fatigu…
Category: primary care
Ensuring equitable, quality treatment in Black and marginalized people [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “For Black patients—or any member of any marginalized group—to ensure you receive equitable and equal treatment, it is important to advocate for yourself. Speak up, ask questions, and…
How you can thrive despite the looming physician shortage
A perfect storm is brewing in the U.S. health care system, and we must prepare to counter the rushing waves. America is facing a potentially catastrophic physician shortfall. All indicators point toward unprecedented times ahead. If I were an attorney,…
Understanding patients’ religious and spiritual beliefs promotes healing
Religious and spiritual experiences have shaped my worldview since I was a teenager. At age 13, I celebrated my bar mitzvah. Later that year, I underwent an appendectomy. A priest asked my mother if he could pray for me prior to the operation. My mothe…
How to deal with challenging patients
Dealing with challenging patients can be difficult and stressful for doctors and health care professionals. It can be helpful to remember that they can be difficult for a variety of reasons, such as pain, fear, confusion, or unmet expectations that wer…
Treating rare, multi-system illnesses [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “If patients had an accurate diagnosis and their physicians knew the root of their illness and could treat it effectively, then the medical care costs would go down. The effect on pat…
Doctors trained abroad will save rural health care
Health care is growing hard to come by in rural America. Three-quarters of rural counties suffer from doctor shortages. More than 200 rural hospitals are at risk of closing due to financial hardship within the next two to three years, according to a st…
The transformation of doctors into “Dr. Widgets”
It has finally happened, I have transitioned to viewing myself as a widget, a depersonalized interface between the EMR and the patient. I am the unnamed device that collects the patient data and subsequently transcribes it into prose for billing purpos…
Ode to the paper chart
Oh how I miss the feel of your thick spine, so wide I could barely grasp you with my oddly small hands. Wrist cocked, an awkward drag ensued from rack to desk, your heft landing with a thump under fluorescent lights on the laminate desk. I scooted into…
A medical lifeline for the aging male [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “It seems too good to be true, but it is: physical activity improves every health outcome we can name. Note that some of those benefits arrive in the long term, some in the short. It’…
