Category: primary care

Inside the ER: What my visit taught me about patient care

For the second time in my life I visited the ER. I woke up early yesterday morning with unremitting, 7.8/10 left lower back pain accompanied by chills, nausea, and vomiting. Why 7.8? Well, I definitely could have imagined pain worse than an 8, but it s…

Inside the ER: What my visit taught me about patient care

For the second time in my life I visited the ER. I woke up early yesterday morning with unremitting, 7.8/10 left lower back pain accompanied by chills, nausea, and vomiting. Why 7.8? Well, I definitely could have imagined pain worse than an 8, but it s…

Why are we allowing politicians to practice medicine?

When I was doing my medical training at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City (a proud and fine hospital that has sadly closed), the official word was that we could not counsel patients to use condoms to prevent HIV transmission. Like many othe…

Why are we allowing politicians to practice medicine?

When I was doing my medical training at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City (a proud and fine hospital that has sadly closed), the official word was that we could not counsel patients to use condoms to prevent HIV transmission. Like many othe…

What would we do if we weren’t doctors?

I have often wondered where I would be if I had never been accepted to medical school. After all, I got in by the slimmest of margins. I even failed at one application round, finally matriculating at Boston University after an icy post-college winter d…

5 questions in mental health counseling – and life

Dedicated to my friend and colleague Pat Irving to whom I first told the story. I’m 80 years old and I’ve been writing for over 60 years—first in systems engineering, later in advanced technology, and more recently in public health policy f…

Controversies surrounding transgender athletes and competitive fairness [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! We sit down with William Lynes, a urologist, to discuss the complexities surrounding the inclusion of SGID athletes in female sports. William explores the impact of biolog…

Physician gaslighting looks like this

As physicians, we are often collectively gaslit—made to believe that somehow, we are responsible for system failures. Many physicians are brainwashed to “drink the Kool-Aid” and accept phrases like, “This is the way things have always…

Transform your health care team with these 5-minute communication exercises

An excerpt from The Medical Improv Toolkit: 10 Simple Activities to Promote Safe Care, Healthy Workplaces, & Rewarding Careers! “Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better.” ~F…

Live longer, die shorter: the surprising health secrets to a vital old age

An excerpt from 21st Century Schizoid Health Care: Essays and Reflections to Keep You Sane on Your Medical Travels. Over a decade ago, a landmark ten-year study by the MacArthur Foundation shattered the stereotypes of aging as a process of slow, geneti…