A plea from an emergency physician on the front lines

Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ --------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on [KevinMD](. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors [How can you improve communications to enhance the provider experience]( and pursue the quadruple aim? Explore how better communications can help make positive impacts on 3 important issues facing providers today. [Read now](. A well-constructed [infection control preparedness plan for coronavirus (COVID-19)]( is essential for facilities where patients receive care, such as physician offices, dental offices, long-term care facilities, and [ambulatory care centers](. [Struggling with too little time and too many responsibilities?]( This whitepaper offers critical strategies for alleviating burnout. It's time to [heal health care](. [MDforLives](. Find the latest medical articles and paid surveys. Earn honorarium. Get top-notch CME and peer-reviewed content. [Join now](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Mar 19, 2020 [A plea from an emergency physician on the front lines]( Our lives are quickly changing. Schools are closing; sports are being canceled; people are working from home, Disneyland is closing, toilet paper is in short supply. We are about to hit a real struggle with our health care system. We are about to hit a real struggle with our economy. Let this be a time […] [Please listen to the COVID-19 coronavirus experts. Help us save lives.]( Sigh. I don’t know how to say this without coming across as a complete a-hole, but when epidemiologists, the majority of physicians, public health experts, etc. are all recommending major social distancing measures in order to prevent the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. from looking like that in Italy or Iran, you may want to […] [Love for doctors in the COVID-19 coronavirus era]( All across the world, physicians have answered an internal call to action in response to COVID-19 coronavirus. Early on, there was an online mobilization. Existing closed physician Facebook groups were beginning to share information regarding the novel coronavirus when it had not yet spread to the states. At the time, because physicians are human scientists […] [There are not enough nurses to care for the coronavirus pandemic]( It’s a cliché but the horse is out of the barn. There is no doubt that coronavirus is widespread in the United States and the situation is getting worse. No one — not the government, not hospitals — are addressing the elephant in the room. There are not enough nurses to care for a worsening […] [In times of crisis, physicians will always come together to take care of you]( COVID-19 is here. As the numbers of cases continue to grow, my fellow physicians have to evaluate how we will respond when the number of ills outnumbers our current capacity. Older physicians, younger pregnant physicians, physicians with young children at home, no matter their personal circumstances, the response is the same: “If we’re needed, we […] [An intensivist’s one-pager on COVID-19]( Here is a one page summary of what I have read and seen caring for people with COVID-19. This is a distillation of data and guidelines available elsewhere. Please visit ICU One Pager for the latest version. Available for download as a PDF, PNG, or PPT. (Please click to enlarge.) Nick Mark is an intensive […] [How coronavirus will tax already overcrowded U.S. emergency departments]( The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is already having far-reaching effects on our nation. The stock market has taken a historic plunge from its all-time high. Major entertainment and sporting events have been canceled. I recently took a cross-country flight from Maryland to Oregon have not seen this many empty seats on a plane in a very […] [Loneliness in the time of COVID-19]( Recently, I have been recommending that my friends, colleagues, and loved ones limit their time watching the news and scrolling through social media. There seems to be another contagion besides COVID-19. A contagion created from equal parts fear, greed, self-protection, and isolation. Now, there is a very real danger now that the world is a […] [A call to clear misinformation in the era of COVID-19]( The rumor mill has been churning. Media sources—even reputable ones—are using inflammatory headlines as clickbait, capitalizing on the anxiety of their readerships. Misinformation is being passed along through various channels, not the least of which comes from people in positions of power. The break-room in the hospital is abuzz with worried team-members, news of a […] [COVID-19 social distancing is like bedrest]( Did the picture above catch your attention? The large Pokemon bean bag belongs to my children. The other object is a plastic bag I made from plastic scraps. I know it’s weird, but I have embraced my off-kilter personality as Dr. Plastic Picker. Our children consume enormous amounts of clementines. Clementines come in orange plastic […] [As society shuts down, hospital workers continue to fight the pandemic]( Collectively across our country, as society shuts down, physicians, along with our brave co-workers in the hospital, will be going to work to combat the largest pandemic we have seen in our lifetimes. While such a crisis frightens us all, it has also served as a soul-renewing time for medicine. Over the next several months, […] [Telehealth: Get ready for big changes in health care]( The year 2020 might bear witness to a significant shift in control of health care from the providers, insurers, and the government to actual health care consumers. First, it was the politicians, then the tech conferences and promises of 5G, and now global pandemic scares are all signaling the demand for remote health care. The […] [Incorporate physician well-being into your job search criteria]( Maybe you think it’s too early to consider the next stage in your career. Medical school graduation is just months away. Newly graduated doctors will be making their way to their first rotations in July. Senior residents and senior fellows are thinking and dreaming about their next position as a new attending. This got me […] [How to embrace the art of networking]( Physicians are, by nature, excellent taskmasters. When given a defined set of goals to complete, whether it be a list of patients to round on, a target GPA for admission to medical school, or procedures to complete by graduation, we face it head-on with our tool kit at the ready. This often leaves us vulnerable […] [There has never been a greater need for telemedicine than now]( I left the U.S. just in time. During my vacation in Australia, I was relieved I would dodge some of the angst and uncertainty in the midst of the COVID-19 epidemic. As it turns out, even this getaway on the opposite side of the world was no escape. Within the span of a day, the […] [Why physicians need a tax coach]( If you’re like me, taxes are my biggest expense and one of my biggest frustrations. I had talked to numerous local accountants and was always told there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Last year, I was introduced to a proactive tax planning firm and had the opportunity to work with a certified tax […] [4 financial mistakes medical residents make and how to avoid them]( Medical residents and fellows have always been in an interesting situation. They are embarking on the foothills of their career and obtaining the skills and knowledge they need to press forward. They are likely in the most idealistic mindset they’ll ever be in their career, and they’re networking with their future general practitioners and specialists; […] [Side gigs medical residents can consider]( It’s 2020, and many of us are more motivated than ever. We want to get fit, eat healthier, and continue to survive residency. While these are noteworthy goals, consider one more thing: making money doing something you love … outside of medicine. A.k.a., start a side hustle. If you’re unsure of where to start, here […] [Gendered language and impostor syndrome]( I have evidence that I am a victim of gendered language. One of my teaching evaluations from a national course once said, “If you look up the definition of the word ‘perky’ in the dictionary, you will find a picture of Jennifer Hunt.” One of my old performance reviews says, “Dr. Hunt is aggressive.” Even […] [Closed-loop communications: Good for codes and for marriage]( Recently, I realized that something needed to change in my family life. With three busy daughters at three different schools who participate in multiple activities along with my full-time job as an anesthesiologist, my life depended on accurate and concise communication. However, this was the third time in a week that a ball had been […] [Medicine is hard work but there are ways to do the job more effectively and efficiently]( The first step on any journey is having a direction to follow. When you decided to become a physician, you no doubt sought out advice from trusted mentors: advisors, other physicians, even peers who had traveled that road before you. Becoming a physician likely started as an abstract thought that became all-consuming. Somewhere along the […] [He couldn’t let his wife go peacefully. Even after death.]( No break for 12 hours. We beg to go to the bathroom just for a nano-second. You know, in between not skipping a beat to hang life-saving IV drips, assisting with central line insertions and arterial lines and intubations of the sickest. We pretty much just go door to door literally saving lives. Code blues, […] [Dirty jeans and a positive patient experience]( Recently, I made a doctor’s appointment with a new physician at a different hospital system. During my last encounter with our family’s primary care doctor, his angry, unprofessional and unnerving behavior not only scared me at the time — it scared me away for good. So forced to navigate away from crazy — I found […] [5 steps to improve your diastolic dysfunction of life]( I recently attended a cardiology conference where a dear friend of mine was presenting on the topic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She discussed how fibrosis within the ventricle causes diastolic dysfunction, an inability of the myocardium to relax. My ears perked up. Just the week before, while on vacation, I personally experienced the inability to relax. […] [7 reflections on grief and personal loss as told by a medical student]( Being a medical student during your clinical years imparts a certain feeling of invincibility. For many of us, this is our first-time taking care of patients. Our history-taking and physical exam skills are being honed like superpowers. Our clinical knowledge is growing. We begin to take ownership of patients as our own. With all but […] [The medical basis of vampires]( An excerpt from Of Plagues and Vampires: Believable Myths and Unbelievable Facts from Medical Practice. The concept of a vampire predates Bram Stoker’s tales of Count Dracula – probably by several centuries. But did vampires ever really exist? In 1819, 80 years before the publication of Dracula, John Polidori, an Anglo-Italian physician, published a novel […] --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](