The Podcast by KevinMD

Latest Episodes:

Physician identity: who you are vs. what you do Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

"'Hi, my name is Kristin Yates, and I am the OB/GYN doctor.' This is how I greet most patients for the first time.

It has never really felt natural to introduce myself as 'Dr. Yates,' even now that I have been an attending physician for more than five years. To be fair, for the first several years of my career, it felt uncomfortable to refer to myself as 'Dr. Yates' because part of me felt like a total fraud. But as I began to make strides to overcome my self-doubt and realized that imposter syndrome was just a normal part of being human, I realized that my aversion to being called 'Dr. Yates' was about way more than just awkwardness."

Kristin Yates is an obstetrics-gynecology physician.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Don't call me 'doctor.'" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/06/dont-call-me-doctor.html)

This episode is sponsored by Tradeoffs, available on your favorite podcast platform.

Why people diagnosed with cancer should get a second opinion Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

"Although people think of medicine as a science—the facts reveal the diagnosis, the diagnosis dictates the treatment—most physicians acknowledge that medicine is as much an art as a science. It's not like a simple math equation with one undeniably right answer. Even when the diagnosis is clear, there may still be multiple appropriate treatment paths that deliver similar outcomes. And there are many cases where the diagnosis is not definitive, especially in the case of complex diseases and many types of cancer.

That's why a second opinion is an important tool for people who have received a cancer diagnosis. Not only can it help lower the risk of misdiagnosis or an inappropriate plan of treatment, but it's also essential for decision making. A second opinion from a specialist who has extensive experience treating people with the type of cancer you've been diagnosed with can change or confirm your diagnosis."

Miles J. Varn is chief executive officer, PinnacleCare, and can be reached on LinkedIn.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Why people diagnosed with cancer should get a second opinion." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/06/why-people-diagnosed-with-cancer-should-get-a-second-opinion.html)

This episode is sponsored by Tradeoffs, available on your favorite podcast platform.

Medicine's science has advanced. Medicine's art has stalled. Oct 03, 2021

Show notes

"I was a bit nervous about how she would perceive my advice. She could find it inappropriate and report me for making personal remarks. But I believe she sensed the sincerity in my words and appeared invigorated, uplifted, and excited. She was smiling now and exclaimed, 'Doctor, you will see now how I get my game on!' She asked me when her next scans would be, and I told her, 'First, you make an appointment at the hair salon, and I will schedule your next scans after that.' We struck a deal, and her body language changed. She jumped out of her chair and walked out of the room like a woman on a mission. A mission to look good. A mission to not feel ugly.

I don't know how much longer she has to live. She may have another two months or another two years. I will be ready to treat any symptom she gets from cancer, but I will also make sure that we do everything for her to feel beautiful. Just like she actually is."

Farhan S. Imran is a hematology-oncology physician who blogs at Did I Ask?

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "After all the years of medical training, I learned how to treat ugly on my own." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/04/after-all-the-years-of-medical-training-i-learned-how-to-treat-ugly-on-my-own.html)

This episode is sponsored by Tradeoffs, available on your favorite podcast platform.

From a patient to health care workers: Always remember your humanity Oct 02, 2021

Show notes

"Always remember your humanity. You are not super-human. Make connections to your heart, to your mind, to others. Look closely at the situation that lies before you, listen carefully to all that is around you, and calm the pounding heart.

Dig deep within your psyche, ask the big questions, and most importantly, listen to the answers. Rediscover the reasons that have been your motivation, your driving force. Uncover those layers you have put in place for your protection to cushion against the harshness. Open your eyes. Open your heart. Your lifeline is within your grasp. This lifeline is tethered to your core, to those you care for, to those who care for you.

Once lost, you are now found. You are at equilibrium. You have found your way back."

Michele Luckenbaugh is a patient advocate.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "A message from a patient to health care workers: Always remember your humanity." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/08/a-message-from-a-patient-to-health-care-workers-always-remember-your-humanity.html)

This episode is sponsored by Tradeoffs, available on your favorite podcast platform.

Humane health care outcomes by creating therapeutic alliances Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

"In fully-humanized health care, I envision patients as clients, with doctors as part of the health care team in a role more akin to expert consultants and skilled proceduralists. The consumer is empowered in the network to drive his or her own health — taking the central role rather than the physician.

By continuously humanizing health care and creating therapeutic alliances, we gain one more benefit. We enlist the efforts of the client's natural support network, a free army of caregivers to reduce the load on our overburdened health care system. But to be effective, the support network will need engaging and actionable information. Together with providers, they will help individuals integrate multiple modalities in their journey toward healthfulness.

Therapeutic alliances not only would reduce costs by sharing information with people in a way that encourages them to take more responsibility for their own health, but they would also reduce the dehumanization rampant in health care today."

Summer Knight is a family physician and physician executive. She is the author of Humanizing Healthcare: Hardwire Humanity into the Future of Health.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Humane health care outcomes by creating therapeutic alliances." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/04/humane-health-care-outcomes-by-creating-therapeutic-alliances.html)

How to get patients vaccinated against COVID-19 Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

"While opposition to the vaccine may be hardening, pediatricians and family physicians enjoy an advantage the CDC and Dr. Fauci may not: namely, they are liked and trusted by patients. In general, parents look to personal physicians for guidance and usually follow their advice on health care for their children. Doctors can use that trust to convince skeptical parents of the benefits of getting their children vaccinated.

Even the medical office setting can be an advantage. Unlike a bustling pharmacy or a crowded mass vaccination site, a doctor's office offers a low-key, familiar environment, one in which a parent might be more open to counseling."

Rich Parker is an internal medicine physician.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "How to get young patients vaccinated against COVID-19." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/08/how-to-get-young-patients-vaccinated-against-covid-19.html)

An American doctor in Rome Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

"The idea was to try working in Rome for a year and see how it went. This sensible American plan collapsed under the weight of Italian bureaucracy.

Luckily I didn't investigate every angle before starting off; if I had known the true lay of the land I might not have kept going after that Italian medical license like a donkey after his carrot. I'd have taken a job in some clinic in the Bronx, where I'd be seeing four patients an hour to this day. Instead, I made those steps you can't retrace: gave up my three-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side with views of the Empire State Building and the Tri- borough Bridge, and sold my Dodge Challenger convertible to a pinky-ringed Turkish importer-exporter who planned to strip it down to the skeleton of an Oriental low-rider.

Months beforehand I started focusing my Manhattanite efficiency on getting registered in Italy, my Italian husband leading me by the hand through the wilderness of Old World red tape. The first step was "getting my documents together," an Italian ritual repeated before every encounter with officialdom. Sticking to a list kindly provided by the Italian Consulate, I collected my birth certificate, passport, high school diploma, college diploma, college transcript, medical school diploma, medical school transcript, certificates of internship and residency, National Board Examination certificates, American Board of Internal Medicine test results, and specialization diploma. Then I got them transfigured into Italian by the one person in New York authorized by the Italian Consulate to crown his translation with an imprimatur. We judiciously gave him a set of our own translations as crib notes, tailored by my husband to match the Rome medical school curriculum."

Susan Levenstein is an internal medicine physician and author of Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "An American doctor in Rome." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/09/an-american-doctor-in-rome.html)

When it comes to bias, doctors need to do their homework Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

"I have no doubt, given my extensive experience in health care and being a Black woman in America, that we as health care professionals have made the same mistakes as Chris Harrison with our patients. Instead of listening to and validating our patients' concerns, we make excuses for ourselves or the people who have caused the injustice that our patients are experiencing. Effectively we delegitimize or invalidate their concerns, and we exacerbate their pain due to the experience. In some ways, our role as clinicians, combined with the reason for them seeking health care, magnifies and even eclipses the pain from the original experience causing an even more damaging effect. Whether or not we believe their experience is real or perceived is irrelevant. We are no authority to know the difference, and when a patient is in our care, it is our responsibility to place their needs first.

As health care professionals, we should strive to validate our patients' feelings and offer comfort whether or not we agree about the etiology. Resist the urge to justify or defend the perceived abusers. I believe that this could potentially improve our relationship with our patients and improve their care and, as a bonus, make us more empathetic to the other people in our lives."

Monique Rainford is an obstetrician-gynecologist.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "When it comes to bias, doctors need to do their homework." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/07/when-it-comes-to-bias-doctors-need-to-do-their-homework.html)

Dr. Lorna Breen's lasting legacy Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

"We have a chance to take a meaningful step in fighting burnout and mental health issues in the health care profession. We have lost too many valued and vibrant health care professionals due to an illness that is treatable but stigmatized – including the devastating loss of Dr. Lorna Breen. The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act will leave a lasting legacy for bettering our health care community, taking the first step in addressing this horrible crisis. Endorsement of the Lorna Breen Act is not limited to medical students, other health care workers, students, and hospitals have a stake."

Corey Feist is co-founder, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation.

He shares his story and discusses the KevinMD article, "A step forward: a way to advance the mental health of health care professionals." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/05/a-step-forward-a-way-to-advance-the-mental-health-of-health-care-professionals.html)

Burnout and bias? Or medical gaslighting? Sep 26, 2021

Show notes

"Five years into my practice as an academic allergist/immunologist, my perceptions continue to evolve. Though once primarily informed by my mentors' wisdom, I continue incorporating my experiences as both physician and autoimmune patient to guide my practice. Though we all know medicine isn't like it used to be, nostalgia is bittersweet. In its wake, the real question remains: how are we going to respond to ongoing changes and fight for the health of our patients and our colleagues?

From the loss of autonomy with the advent of managed care and corporate takeovers, we find ourselves practicing under increased pressure from all sides. Less time and resources to help sicker patients. Answering not only to our patients' needs but those of insurance companies and other interested parties whose motives are less than altruistic."

Kara Wada is an allergist-immunologist.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Burnout and bias? Or medical gaslighting?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/07/burnout-and-bias-or-medical-gaslighting.html)

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected