To parents who have lost children: We never forget your children

--------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors [Measures that Matter]( How to Achieve Patient Satisfaction and Other 2019 Goals. Are you focusing on what matters in 2019? This new guide can help you achieve six key measures in patient satisfaction, care quality, and more. [Get the guide](. [Human trafficking]( is on the rise in every state throughout the nation. Medical providers should look for [signs and symptoms]( to help identify patients who are victims of human trafficking. [We've talked to practices just like yours]( to learn how they leverage engagement solutions to increase revenue, empower and improve the relationships with their patients. [Learn what they had to say](. [Survey]( Research shows that an increasingly large portion of clinicians are experiencing symptoms of burnout. What’s the right way to minimize the risk -- is there one? Share your experience: The first 50 respondents will receive a Starbucks gift card. [Take the quick survey now](. More than a search engine, a personal subscription to [ClinicalKey]( puts an entire library of trusted resources at your fingertips. Empower your clinical decisions, [test drive ClinicalKey today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Mar 11, 2019 [To parents who have lost children: We never forget your children]( Her name was Callie (identifying information changed). She was four years old. She loved glitter and princesses and anything sparkly. She was affectionate and silly, and I fell hard for her. She was a patient, my patient, on the pediatric oncology unit during my very first ward rotation intern year. On my first day, I […] [After Luke Perry: a greater awareness of stroke symptoms]( When your grandmother suffers a devastating stroke, it is a family tragedy, but it does not necessarily make the headlines. When Luke Perry has a massive stroke at age 52, it does. Stroke remains a surprisingly common occurrence, striking someone in the United States every 40 seconds, and killing someone every 3 minutes and 45 […] [Esketamine is not a breakthrough new drug: Why the nasal spray for depression is old news]( The FDA has given official approval to market eskatamine as a treatment for depression. As expected, there has been great fanfare (press releases, morning TV talk show guests, NPR segments and so on). The news leaves me salty. The esketamine story reveals so much of what is wrong about how we get useful medical science […] [How telemedicine can help patients and solve physician burnout]( I have been practicing telemedicine successfully for four years. In 2015, I had to beg doctors to work in telemedicine. Because so many doctors were wary of it, I started to get licensed in multiple states, and now, I have 15 state licenses. Well, what a difference a few years makes. Now, in 2019, I […] [The most loving thing: end of life and saying goodbye]( “Grandma fell and we’re in the emergency room. She’s very distressed and does not look good. I’m going to put the doctor on the phone.” I could hear my mother’s voice strain on the other end of the phone line as I braced myself for my conversation with the emergency department physician. The emergency physician […] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Thousands of physicians are browsing this job board](. They love its selection of over 12,000 openings across the U.S.. [Physicians are finding opportunities they almost missed](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Alex Trebek diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A brave journey begins.]( The news that Alex Trebek has advanced stage IV pancreatic cancer has been met with an outpouring of support and good wishes, as would be expected for someone who has been a part of our lives for so many years. The fact is, pancreatic cancer is a difficult disease to treat effectively. That is due in no small […] [How do fitness trackers fit in the future of health care?]( I view medicine as a team effort. Doctors, nurses, technicians, and patients work together to promote and improve health. Recently some new members have joined the team: My patients’ Fitbits, phones, and watches. For years, the pessimists out there have predicted that wearable technology would lead to mass hysteria. Patients would misdiagnose themselves as having […] [The reason so many physicians are retiring early]( There has been a disturbing shift in how medical professionals feel about their career. I almost cringe every time I’m at a party or social gathering now and tell people I retired early from my medical practice. I try not to bring it up. I don’t cringe out of fear for how they will perceive […] [Become more than a clinician. Be a healer.]( When a patient goes to the doctor, they usually have a specific health problem in mind. Sometimes, the treatment is straightforward; a urinary tract infection warrants antibiotics. A laceration can be sutured. Other issues, however, are more complex. For example, communicating a terminal diagnosis to a patient. Consoling his grieving widow two months later. In […] [How to prevent ski injuries: tips from an orthopedic surgeon]( Ski season is here, and it’s time to think about how we can avoid injuries on the slopes. As an orthopaedic surgeon, I most often see knee injuries, but also plenty of wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries as well. Hopefully, you’ve done some pre-season conditioning — but if not, go ahead and start now! Obviously, […] [HIPAA case studies: misguided mistakes and egregious errors]( An excerpt from Tweets, Likes,and Liabilities: Online and Electronic Risk to the Healthcare Professional. When it comes to HIPAA violations, there are, sadly, plenty of examples available to serve as cautionary tales. Some seem like innocent mistakes that just about anyone could make. Others are so egregious that those involved appear to be willfully inviting the […] [A key tip for premedical students: Ask for help]( A simple Google search is all you need to do to gauge the difficulty individuals have with asking for help. “How to ask to shadow someone.” 43.1 million results. “How to ask for a letter of recommendation.” 66 million results. “How to ask for help,” 3.73 billion results. From the popularity of these topics, it […] [How self-awareness helps with patient interaction]( What is self-awareness? A quick Google search says that it is “conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.” In other words, my worldview is different than yours. Hypothetically, I am a Republican, and you are a Democrat. You don’t believe in vaccinations, but I do. I believe in universal health care, but […] [The commodification of health care is destroying the doctor-patient relationship]( My elderly patients miss the days when, in an emergency, they could call their family doctor at home, and they’d be cared for. Retired doctors reminisce about the “good old days” when they were in charge of their own schedules and could prescribe whatever drug or test they felt necessary based on years of experience. […] [A paradigm shift in acute pain assessment and management]( We have embarked upon a unique strategy to assess and manage pain. “Opioids Rarely Help Bodily Pain” is not a catchy phrase but a mnemonic related to educational learning which serves as the cornerstone of a new acute-pain management paradigm. As is known, the evaluation of pain is extremely difficult due to its subjective nature. […] [Alex Trebek reminds us to go beyond fear of pancreatic cancer]( The news that beloved game show host Alex Trebek has advanced stage pancreatic cancer hit his millions of fans hard this week. His illness has elicited heartbreak and support. As a clinician who treats pancreatic cancer, I anticipated the reaction that would follow next. Fear. While it is a rare form of cancer, pancreatic cancer […] [Instead of Medicare for all, how about Medicare for more?]( Medicare for all is one of the leading campaign issues among the Democratic presidential candidates. Michigan Rep. John Conyers first introduced the idea in Congress in 2003. It went nowhere, but as the one-time party of JFK morphed into something much further left, Medicare for all rose from the dead. Medicare for all promises universal coverage, so that […] [Prescription for a healthy heart: pediatric-driven partnerships]( For pediatric cardiologists, February, National Heart Month, is a special time. We share health tips in the hospital and talk about heart health with those looking for advice, especially with patients and families impacted by CHD. It’s also a time to look back at what’s worked well in the field, while accelerating advancements for CHD […] [5 ways physician recruiters can improve their relationship with doctors]( A career in health care provides an incredible life full of experiences, challenges, and heartbreak, mixed with incredible satisfaction. With the rapidly shifting global economy, health professionals retain a large degree of flexibility and geographic independence. That said, it takes a unique proposition from a recruiter to pull one away from a satisfying position. I […] [Remove your blindfold to your patient’s pain]( “We pass through the present with our eyes blindfolded … Only later when the cloth is untied can we glance at the past and find out what we have experienced and what meaning it has.” – Milan Kundera Two days ago, during a clinical skills session on lymph node examination, my classmates insisted that I […] [KevinMD Spring 2019 keynote appearances]( I’m so honored to share my social media journey over the years, and chronicle the continual evolution of the social media-medicine intersection. It’s such a thrill to keynote three conferences this Spring: the 28th Annual Scientific & Clinical Conference of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Becker’s Health IT + Clinical Leadership + Pharmacy 2019, and Pri-Med West. I’m […] [A medical student’s first code. Here’s what he learned.]( Well, today it happened. I participated in my first code. We were in the telemetry unit (the room where they monitor all the patients who have EKG strips) to ask about a different patient of mine only to find that a patient was coding (lost a life-sustaining heartbeat). With some coaxing from my attending, the […] [MKSAP: 40-year-old man with a new skin rash of 10 days’ duration]( Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 40-year-old man is evaluated for a new skin rash of 10 days’ duration. The rash appeared abruptly and is not tender or pruritic. The patient has poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus. His current medications include metformin and glyburide. Family […] [#MeToo: A culture change is needed in health care]( This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com. The #MeToo movement exploded into the national spotlight in October 2017 with The New York Times exposé of sexual abuse allegations against Hollywood media mogul Harvey Weinstein. It has since encouraged thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of people to come forward and share their stories of sexual harassment, […] [Physicians are now lab rats]( Pay for performance (P4P) is all the rage in health care. Big Pharma led the way, and the popular press would have you believe that one can “incentivize” physicians and their clinical colleagues with as little as a sandwich and a bag of chips. Corporations have used bonuses, stock options, and commissions for years as […] [Have bad news for your patients? Mind your metaphors.]( First, the cancer diagnosis. Then, the barrage of trite encouragements: You can beat this! Don’t give up. Keep fighting! It’s not only friends and family members who utter these clichés — usually at a loss of what else to say. Health care providers also attempt to bolster patients’ morale with well-intentioned but well-worn phrases too. […] [Medicare for all and the problem of health care on demand]( The evolving politics of single-payer health care conflate the concepts of universal coverage, health care on demand and free health care. To the indiscriminate progressive mind, all three are part of the holy grail. The fly in the ointment is that highly attractive and altruistic politics runs into the brick wall of reality. As Thomas […] --------------------------------------------------------------- If a friend sent you this email and you want to subscribe, go to [KevinMD](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 345 Hudson Street New York NY 10014 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](