The next pandemic will be in mental health

Here are latest COVID-19 coronavirus stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ --------------------------------------------------------------- Here are latest COVID-19 coronavirus stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com [New York City critical care physician](. Seeking per diem coverage, including day, night, and weekend coverage. Includes 23 award-winning hospitals throughout [Long Island, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Westchester](. [New York City critical care intensivists](. Fellowship trained, BC/BE in critical care. Clean license or eligible to practice as a physician in ANY State. One of the largest multi-disciplinary groups in the country taking care of the most fragile and vulnerable patients in [New York City](. [Coronavirus relief heroes](. Join a central repository of available physicians who can support our dedicated care teams on a temporary basis. Malpractice insurance will be provided as well as an [expedited credentialing process](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Apr 4, 2020 [The next pandemic will be in mental health]( I had my first full day of telemedicine today. Telemedicine is my happy place. For the last two years, I have provided telepsychiatry for a rural facility in my home state. I had the privilege of talking to my patients in their homes today. I was beyond humbled that my patients embraced the change with […] [What’s going to happen? What’s going on? I wish someone could tell me.]( The waiting room is empty, and I take signout on five patients. The patients that typically line the hallways waiting for beds, for stress tests, for MRIs all stayed home. The familiar drunks still get their blister-packed turkey sandwiches. There’s a trickle of patients onto my side: a middle-aged woman who lost vision and a […] [A message to administrators from physicians: Lead, follow, or get out of the way]( We represent the front lines in this ongoing crisis, and we are disheartened by not only the lack of support but overwhelming greed from just about all of you. We have kept our mouths shut and practiced medicine, providing excellent patient care, while many of you became incredibly wealthy on the backs of our hard […] [Grieving the end of life experience from an ICU nurse]( The image of patients dying in the intensive care unit is changing. Over the phone, family members cry on the other end as I tell them that we are not allowing visitors due to “the coronavirus” at this time. They tell me, “but I help make his decisions for him.” These decisions now have to […] [What is the role of medical students during the COVID-19 surge?]( We are in the midst of an unprecedented moment in the history of medical education: Match Day ceremonies canceled, clinical rotations interrupted, and licensing exam centers shut-down. As the anticipated surge on the health care system due to COVID-19 looms, some programs are asking fourth years who have met graduation requirements to consider starting residency […] [COVID-19: Social distancing is our responsibility. Vaccines are too.]( Our country is facing a national health crisis on a scale that has never been seen before in our lifetimes. The COVID-19 pandemic is unchartered territory—a new strain of an old virus that has so far claimed more than 1,000 lives. Right now, we are all nervous for what’s still to come—not just for ourselves, […] [The role of cardiac electrophysiologists in the coronavirus pandemic]( Cardiac electrophysiologists (EPs) – like many other medical and surgical subspecialists in New York City – are volunteering and being reassigned to care for ill patients with coronavirus (COVID-19), their cath lab skills put to rest for the time being. EP is a procedure-based field, comprised of many “elective” cases that nonetheless improve symptoms and […] [Choose not what’s easy, but what is right]( “Dark times lie ahead of us, and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.” – Albus Dumbledore After Voldemort’s return in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, the students of Hogwarts are faced with much fear and uncertainty. Suddenly a future that many had […] [The absolute fear and loneliness of COVID-19 patients in the ICU]( I am sure this comes as a surprise to no one, but taking care of hospitalized COVID-19 patients outside of the intensive care unit (ICU) is really emotionally draining. The absolute fear and loneliness in their voices pierce into you. They keep asking for reassurance, and I’m providing some, but not enough of what they […] [An emergency physician fighting on the frontline]( Who saw this coming? The invisible invader from realms unknown, Marching through continents, Ravaging lives and souls. With its intangible touch, it composes, An orchestra of frenzy and fear, With notes of anger and ignorance, Conspiracy theories commence. A battle ground emerges, Picture a vent and a bed, A loved one struggling for breath, Or […] [When should we start having a discussion about palliative and end of life care?]( Many of us are learning and refreshing our knowledge of critical care and vent management, but how about acknowledging that one of the most meaningful aspects of the art of medicine is simply to bear witness to, and ease the suffering of our fellow humans? So much energy of modern western medicine is fixated on […] [I am a physician, and I am scared]( I am a physician, and I am scared. I am scared for my patients, my friends, my family, and most of all, I am scared for my colleagues. As an oncologist, I am not someone yet on the frontlines treating patients acutely diagnosed with COVID-19, although when the call for all hands-on deck comes, I […] [Physician burnout is a patient safety issue]( He was supposed to be the first patient of the day — not the last. He started as a “no-show” on an already overbooked afternoon office schedule. A gift of sorts, I thought, making clinic a little bit easier and a tiny bit quicker. But Jim showed up hours later in my waiting room. The […] [The front lines become the football field during Ramadan]( I had been waiting for a FaceTime call back for a few weeks now, excited to share with my friend that I had decided which specialty I would pursue. It was when COVID-19 cast the darkness over New York City that I knew he would no longer be interested in that. My friend is a […] [I am an ER doctor on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight but I am counting my blessings]( What a time to be alive. What a time to be a new emergency room doctor. Ten months into a hopefully long career and already facing the healthcare battle of my life. I’m in my early 30s. Not exactly the highest risk age group when it comes to the novel coronavirus. But make no mistake, […] [Anticipatory grief during the COVID-19 pandemic]( I woke up today wearing the lead suit of grief. I was tired, irritable, and tearful. I was angry at the lack of PPE and the risk that this poses to my colleagues. I was sad, anticipating the loss of my colleagues who are still alive and well. I was in denial, wondering if I […] [Take the pledge to be #6ftApartNotUnder and advocate for social distancing]( As our nation takes over in the number of worldwide COVID-19 infections, President Trump is considering relaxing social distancing guidelines stating that doctors want to “shut down the world” for a couple of years. To do our jobs to save lives in our communities, we desperately need PPE, hospital beds, and ventilators too. However, none of these things will […] [After the pandemic, can we stop vilifying doctors?]( So can we talk about something? Something that may be unpopular or seem callous at this time? New York is the epicenter of this pandemic in our nation. They are now asking, nay pleading, for doctors to come help them. They’re drowning and do not have the staff to continue. Their own docs are overwhelmed […] [Medical residents are left out in the fight against coronavirus]( New York City medical residents who were out on research for the year are being reassigned from their research jobs …. to more research. Despite having spent all of last year managing ICU patients, a PGY-3 resident in New York City, received notice his reassignment will involve consenting COVID-19 patients for research – and not […] [A message from an Ebola veteran to all health care workers]( In health care, we are all feeling overwhelmed right now. We are overwhelmed by the number of patients, the vast unknown about COVID-19, and the lack of appropriate equipment to do our jobs properly. Yes, right now, we don’t have the tools to adequately treat our patients and protect ourselves. We took an oath, but […] [The coronavirus pandemic is truly like a war]( Maybe this sounds dramatic, but the coronavirus is like a war. The soldiers are health care workers. The enemy is the virus. The battlefield is the hospitals. We are finding out that life can turn on a dime. I found that out 30 years ago in August 1990. Iraq invaded Kuwait. I knew as soon […] [This is a time for national unity, not sensationalism]( We are at war with an invisible enemy: COVID-19. This enemy is only 0.125 microns in size but has infected more than 463,000 people and killed more than 20,000 people worldwide. Physicians, nurses, and allied health care providers are all on the front lines of battle every day to care for and treat patients infected […] [A primer for those new to the world of telemedicine]( I have previously written an article on telemedicine regarding its benefits and its potential value as a component of a successful patient practice. Given the current climate in the medical community due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this seemed to be an appropriate time to write a follow-up article regarding the implementation of telemedicine within your […] [Heroism is a process for physicians]( Was everyone in medical school as young, innocent, and wildly stupid as we were? The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine required superlatives: most, best, fastest … dumbest? Before each test, my friend Frank and I would scroll through our mental Rolodexes of “What are our other options?” (As opposed to being stuck inside with […] --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](