Opinion | The Medical System Is Failing Black Kids With Severe Mental Illness
My Black patient spent most of February in a locked inpatient psychiatric ward. Well, he wasn’t my patient anymore, but he had been at one time. As a resident working with hospitalized children with severe mental illnesses, he was one of my very first patients. He helped me to become a better doctor. I wish […]
Opinion | Nobody Wants This Job. Should Physicians Stick Around?
As I enter the patient exam room, the first question is no longer, “When can I get my COVID-19 vaccine?” but rather, “Are you leaving? My old doctor left. You are my fifth doctor in 3 years. What is happening?” Nowadays, I spend more time educating patients about the visible cracks our medical system flaunts. […]
No-Opioid Strategy Sharply Reduced Prescribing After Urologic Cancer Surgery
A protocol focusing on non-opioid pain control measures, as well as patient education, helped eliminate the need for post-discharge opioid prescriptions after major urologic cancer surgery, according to a cohort study. Among nearly 650 opioid-naive patients, the rate of opioid prescriptions at discharge was 57.9% for those who received an instruction sheet that explained the […]
Patient Accused of HIPAA Violation, Threatened With Jail for TikTok Posts
A confrontation between hospital staff and a patient over wait times and patient rights was documented in a series of viral TikTok videos, according to a local news report. Denise Bradley, a patient at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan, was confronted by hospital security and a nurse after she was found to be recording an […]
Severe Chest Pain in Newly Diagnosed Colorectal Cancer
What was causing ongoing severe acute chest pain in this 65-year-old patient with no cardiovascular risk factors or prior heart problems? That was the conundrum for Stefano Savonitto, MD, and colleagues at Manzoni Hospital in Lecco, Italy, when the patient arrived at their emergency department early one morning. They reported in JAMA Internal Medicine that […]
So, You Just Had A Breakthrough In Therapy. Now What?
For most people, therapy is a time that’s dedicated to whatever the patient wants, whether that’s venting about a loved one, talking about a stressor at work or diving deep into monumental events in your childhood. Oftentimes, what comes from these deep conversations are uncomfortable truths about yourself — how your behavior contributes to a […]
Opinion | My Patients Are My Heroes
I was standing outside the patient room, feeling slightly restless that day. A few days earlier, I had received some news from my doctor that I was not expecting. My mind sifted through the various possibilities and directions this could take me. When will I get to see my doctor to discuss this? What does […]
Health Workers Unlikely to Catch Monkeypox From Infected Patients
Healthcare personnel (HCP) were unlikely to be infected with monkeypox from an infected patient, according to research from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Among 313 healthcare workers exposed to 55 patients with confirmed monkeypox, none contracted the virus over 21 days of follow-up, even though many did not wear personal protective equipment […]
Kentucky Nurse Accused of Killing Elderly Patient
A former Kentucky nurse has been indicted for murder in the death of a patient at a Lexington hospital. According to a Lexington Police Department statement, Eyvette Renee Hunter, 52, was indicted and arrested Tuesday for distributing lorazepam (Ativan) on April 30 to James Morris, age 97, against orders from a nurse practitioner and physician […]
Opinion | What Is the Narrative You Hear When Faced With Uncertainty?
The first week of my big attending job, I saw a patient with fever, sore throat, no cough, and tonsillar exudates. Well-trained to manage septic shock, but having no idea how to practice in a primary care clinic, I crafted a vast array of infectious and inflammatory diagnoses. With a quick glance, my senior partner […]