The Podcast by KevinMD

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New legislation addresses health care professionals' mental health needs Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

"For many health care professionals, the stresses of their roles routinely take a heavy toll on their mental and physical well-being. It did for me. The pandemic and the unprecedented loss of life were more overwhelming than any of us could have imagined, and for some, it simply pushed them over the edge. But, even before the pandemic, our peers have been suffering from depression, anxiety, and exhaustion and needed resources to help them better cope and manage their well-being. For me, I learned the path to a healthier, more balanced, and purposeful life. I took up ultra-running, which has helped me enormously. I also developed strategies and tactics that I can rely on to keep me on an even keel, even when things get extra challenging. My journey is what inspired me to write a book and share what I have learned with others. The resources which will now be made available as a result of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act are vital to supporting more health care professionals. Many medical associations are applauding the new legislation. We as medical professionals should not hesitate to avail ourselves of any and all resources designed to help us improve our mental and physical well-being so we can continue to help and heal others."

Anthony Avellino is a pediatric neurosurgeon and the author of Finding Purpose: A Neurosurgeon's Journey of Hope and Healing.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "New legislation addresses health care professionals' mental health needs."

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Physicians need to be trained as entrepreneurs and encouraged to innovate Jun 26, 2022

Show notes

"Teaching medical students entrepreneurial and business skills is invaluable as the need for leadership in medicine grows in every single sector. Many physicians already engage in managerial and entrepreneurial-like practices without labeling these skills. By formalizing these skills into medical education, physicians will be able to take their ambitions and ideas about how to best run existing health care institutions and translate them into innovations for the future of the field."

Sofia Yunez is a medical student.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "To be effective leaders, physicians need to be trained as entrepreneurs and encouraged to innovate."

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Want your skin to look better? Then consider your mental health. Jun 25, 2022

Show notes

"Stigma surrounding mental illness often prevents patients from seeking the mental health care they need, delaying care and prolonging suffering. Fear, embarrassment, and impaired quality of life are a reality for many patients suffering from skin disorders like severe cases of psoriasis, hair loss, or acne. In these cases, assistance from a dermatologist who bridges both specialties might be better accepted by patients and can help them find relief for their skin and mind more quickly.

When it comes to helping the millions of Americans suffering from skin issues, whether a flare-up or the management of a chronic condition, exploring both the physical and emotional causes of disease is key to a successful treatment. Neglecting how our emotional lives affect the largest organ of the human body is a mistake, and thankfully, psychodermatological treatments are now available to complement conventional therapies."

Katlein França is a dermatologist.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Want your skin to look better? Then consider your mental health."

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My experience as a teenage health care worker during the COVID-19 pandemic Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

"We owe it to our patients to do better. Every time I picture the couple leaving the pharmacy unvaccinated, I am reminded that true health care requires accountability and a willingness to challenge the status quo. That means challenging a 'no' or 'that's too much work' rather than accepting it passively. If I could do it all over again, I would tell my 18-year-old past self that her voice is more powerful than she realizes. The same applies to any person in a similar situation who feels that their voice is not worth hearing. Our voices are our means to advocate for the patient. We must use them.

It took me over a year to find my own voice, but I'm finally raising it now."

Ananya Raghavan is an undergraduate student.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Reflecting on my experience as a teenage health care worker during the COVID-19 pandemic."

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Combining personalized education and digital technology to improve glucose monitors Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

"Diabetes uniquely requires patients be experts in their own care and demands 24/7/365 vigilance. Close communication with a health care team eases the burden and improves outcomes.

Glucose management revolves around numbers. Unfortunately, numbers are just noise unless translated into actions. Innovations, such as color for people with low numeracy, are essential for improving outcomes. Alarmingly, 80 million, fully one-fourth of our population, have low literacy and numeracy.

People want to better care for themselves; they just need to be shown how. With a diabetes self-management tool in the palms of their hands, people can use colors to engage and more effectively care for their diabetes.

Society also benefits if health care disparities lessen. When access to care is more equitable, people with diabetes should increasingly see those indicators move from red to green."

Elizabeth Holt is an endocrinologist.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "If we better manage diabetes, can we better manage COVID?"

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Healthy patients and healthy physicians: Is it possible? Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

"Lifestyle medicine is part of regular medicine but stands apart in that it is health care that directly benefits patients through the restoration of vitality and health, primarily by lifestyle interventions.

And its healing capacity does not stop there. Because it unlocks the door to health and well-being, its effects reach well beyond patient care, to entire families, communities, and indeed to the lives of health care providers themselves.

Changing the health care system within which physicians work will have positive ripple effects throughout all of health care. It will not only improve their wellness in the workplace — but also optimize patient care. And it will get us closer to the quintuple aim because a rising tide lifts all the boats."

Iris Schrijver is a lifestyle medicine physician.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Healthy patients and healthy physicians: Is it possible?"

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Strategies to help you prepare for multiple mini interviews (MMIs) Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

"The bottom line is that while you can't predict exactly which MMI prompt you'll be given, you can absolutely start preparing for the MMI. Become familiar with the format, practice your delivery, start reading about issues in health care, and start thinking about major points to discuss around these issues. While this won't take away your anxiety, it can absolutely help improve your confidence and performance–so that the next time you're faced with an 'angry' interviewer, you'll be prepared."

Rajani Katta is a dermatologist and author of Conquer the Medical School Interview and The Successful Match.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "The MMI: 3 strategies to help you prepare."

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Primary care's inevitable reboot Jun 20, 2022

Show notes

"The tech giants of Silicon Valley – love them or hate them – have put incredible personal technology tools into homes and pockets of our patients and their caregivers. Now, we must activate those instruments for our own sustainability, and for our patients' benefit.

If the neighborly primary care practice is going to survive, we must embrace a more comprehensive and connected health data usage program reassuring patients that we truly know them and are properly equipped to assess future risk. Because that daily frappuccino could be doing more harm than good – and that's data your doctor can use."

Paul Helmuth is an internal medicine-pediatrics physician.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "The inevitable reboot of the primary care experience."

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Art as a tool to manage pain Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

"I had also used arts and crafts previously in my own experience to help with healing. Including the previous year when I had a breast cancer recurrence did many crochet projects and took classes in mosaics making as I navigated from victim to survivor. However, following my catastrophic accident, I didn't know how to do these activities until I could again use my left arm. Which now I am a little thankful for, as I might not otherwise have been as open to trying drawing.

As I go forward, I will be taking myself more seriously as an artist and looking to learn how my patients can access actively learning art as a tool to manage pain."

Martha Sommers is a family physician.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Art as a tool to manage pain."

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A bad death: the importance of truth-telling at end-of-life Jun 18, 2022

Show notes

"In their hearts, her daughters just wanted their mother to make the most of the time she had left. She never made it to the beach or hugged her grandchildren. From diagnosis to death, it was two short months. During those weeks, she waited for test results, went back and forth to the hospital to drain her lungs, and was on infusions for a useless Hail Mary treatment, all of which robbed her and her family of precious time to talk about what mattered most. She died in the hospital with her family around her, but everyone had a bad death."

Althea Halchuck is a patient advocate and founder, Ending Well! Patient Advocacy. She focuses on end-of-life care and planning, aiming to help people have a "good death," and can be reached at the Final Exit Network and on LinkedIn.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "A bad death: the importance of truth-telling at end-of-life."

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