Medical
Perceptions of risk and coronavirus: thoughts of an epidemiologist
As a physician epidemiologist and former public health official, I find myself confused by people’s perceptions of risk related to coronavirus, particularly as we struggle to reopen our economy amidst a surge of cases. I’ll meet an older adult with diabetes who could care less about distancing or masks, but then a healthy person in…
Read MoreNo, I won’t play politics. I’m a doctor.
Sneeze, and you miss it: the public’s love for health care workers. This relationship has felt like a true Coronacoaster. Pre-COVID: physicians were disparaged for the sins of insurers and hospital C-suites. COVID appears: I was gifted a yard full of signage announcing “Heroes Live Here.” COVID escalates: the World Health Organization is … defunded? We’re…
Read MoreIs there a connection between anesthesiologists and successful money management?
Two of the biggest hitters in the physician finance online world are both anesthesiologists (Physician on Fire and Passive Income MD). Both of them are masters of side income by approaching money in completely different directions. Is it sheer randomness that out of dozens of possible medical fields, both of these successful money-oriented doctors are in the…
Read MoreBe vigilant about bug spray
Ticks and mosquitoes don’t care about COVID-19 safety protocols. They don’t care that people are trying to squeeze out the last moments of this restrictive summer by getting outdoors, hiking, or just sitting on their decks at night and feeling something that’s close to normal. COVID-19 has commanded our attention and caused people to adapt…
Read MoreA COVID-19 conversation with 2 cardiologists [PODCAST]
“Trainees like myself travel great distances from home in pursuit of higher edification. Yet the coronavirus makes us worry about the aged family we leave behind – parents and grandparents. A WhatsApp message ensuring they’ve stocked up on acetaminophen, toilet paper and canned soup (low sodium, of course) the only assuage to our anguish. The…
Read MoreA discussion about unprofessional behavior: a play in 1 act
Setting: An impersonal, windowless conference room within a hospital Characters: A nurse in charge (NIC), a department chair (DC) and me (ME) *** NIC: Thank you for joining us to discuss the report you made of unprofessional behavior in the operating room. We’d like to start by letting you know that in this institution, we…
Read MoreBeing a neonatologist and a mother
Today at work, a mother asked me what I would do if it was my son in the isolette and not hers. It’s not the first time I have been asked this. I understand where the question comes from, and yet I’m at a loss of what to say every time. Not because I haven’t…
Read MoreEnvisioning the delivery of true primary care telehealth
Almost overnight, the COVID-19 pandemic has completely disrupted how we deliver primary care to patients. Before the pandemic, telehealth seemed to be a way to deliver urgent care for acute issues to a select group of tech-savvy patients. Now, at least in my practice, the majority of primary care (acute care, chronic disease management, and…
Read MoreChildren, teens, and the safety of psychotropic medicines
Medicines prescribed for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders — known as psychotropic drugs — have largely been studied in adults. This concerns many parents whose children take these drugs regularly. Studies have most often looked at the effectiveness of these medicines in teens and children. Now a recent systematic review…
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