People are dying because of emergency room waits
11 percent of patients leave the ER because the waits were too long (8 to 9 hours in Ontario). A case in point was a 24-year old with meningitis. After waiting 8 hours without being seen, she went home and later died.
These problems are not confined to Canada, but reflective of a larger problem.
March 2005
All Stories
A hospital is urging patients who had recent colonoscopies to get tested for hepatitis and HIV because the instruments may not have been disinfected adequately
One instrument you want to be sure is disinfected properly would be a colonoscope.
A doctor was sued after penis lengthening surgery ruined the patient's libido
"Eric Neuberger, 31, contends his pre-operation libido let him 'engage in intercourse approximately 30 to 50 times a month.'
But his sexual appetite was destroyed by Dr. Rodney Barron's work, Neuberger said."
Not sure that phalloplasty commonly causes a decreased libido. Any urologists care to comment?
Another case of PML hits the MS drug Tysabri
PML is a rare demylinating disease that occurs in 6 per 10 million patients. This is the third case that is associated with Tysabri. Investors are not happy.
An alternative medicine physician is in trouble for prescribing steroids to football players on the Carolina Panthers
"A South Carolina doctor accused of writing steroid prescriptions for three players on the Carolina Panthers says he prescribes the drugs only when medically necessary.
Dr. James Shortt, an alternative practitioner under investigation by federal and state officials, said in Wednesday's editions of The Charlotte Observer that he prescribes steroids only ...
A student is saying many of his colleagues graduating from Pennsylvania medical schools may move to neighboring states because of the rising cost of malpractice insurance
The malpractice situation is affecting new graduates as they become more attuned to the current crisis.
Today is National Doctors Day!
"* The first Doctors Day observance was March 30, 1933, in Winder, Ga. The idea came from Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Cha Almond, and the date was the anniversary of the first use of general anesthetic in surgery. (On March 30, 1842, Dr. Crawford Long of Barrow County, Ga., used ether to remove a tumor from a patient's neck.)
* The Barrow ...
"I will not treat you and I don't need this shit."
The response of a physician in South Africa who refused to treat a patient with HIV.
No surprise, the neurologist who testified that Terri Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state is under constant fire
"He's called some doctors who disagree with him 'pro-life fanatics,' and others quacks and charlatans.
No legitimate neurologist in the world, he says, would look at the evidence in this case and dispute that Terri Schiavo is in a permanent vegetative state."
People who rely on their primary-care doctor to coordinate their health-care needs fare better than those who don't
"In addition, having a long-term relationship with a doctor resulted in fewer hospitalizations and other reductions in health-care costs, the researchers found."
"Doctors need to understand that we are businessmen"”nothing less, nothing more"”and the sooner we accept this the better."
The New Yorker writes about the intersection between money and medicine. (via kottke.org)
Hospital advertising to consumers is now coming under scrutiny
"Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs had come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the recent Vioxx debacle. Experts across many fields felt that the huge advertising effort behind Vioxx and other cox-2 inhibitors contributed to an over-prescribing of the drugs, and the subsequent heart-related problems experienced by some users.
Ads by medical centers are a more recent phenomenon, another ...
over my med body! hosts this week's Grand Rounds
Get all the scoop from the best of the medical blogs.
A police officer faces charges for delaying an OB speeding on the way to a delivery
"Rather than release Chidiac [the OB] at that point, Lilliston [the officer] drove him to the hospital and marched the doctor to the maternity ward with his motorcycle helmet still on and his hands cuffed behind his back.
A nurse urged the doctor to hurry, because the baby's head was showing."
Missouri signs malpractice litigation reforms
"The law limits an award for noneconomic damages in medical liability cases to $350,000, down from $500,000; regardless of the number of defendants in a case, and there is no inflation adjustment on the cap."
9 out of 10 medical doctors worldwide have penmanship that is quite easy to read
"Among other findings about physicians from the Pilot Pen/Graphology Consulting Group handwriting report are the characteristics of medical specialists:
* Cardiologists -- fast thinkers, open-minded, positive high energy.
* Neurologists -- forward thinkers, quick, interested, intuitive and "elegant."
* Orthopedic surgeons -- Surprisingly, only 15% display handwriting signs that indicate manual dexterity.
* Male ...
In the UK, some physicians solely practice to give second opinions
"But it is aiming to reverse the trend with the introduction of a new GP post, called a referrals GP, which will give patients access to a second family doctor if they are not convinced by their own."
The UK's busiest GP has a patient panel of over 6,000 and works 17-hour days
Did I mention she was also pregnant?
"I think it's imperative that the patient has to be everybody's primary concern, and I'm afraid they're getting lost in the woodwork."
As doctors, lawyers, and insurance companies battle for reform, it's the patient that often loses.
"We need our federal government to create a system that removes profit motives from the practice of medicine."
A doctor yearns for medicine as it was practiced 30 years ago. Best of luck to him - a doctor who doesn't accept business being a part of medicine cannot survive in today's world.
Kevin Pho, MD
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How I approach ovarian cancer screening with patients
Ovarian cancer screening clearly touches a nerve. No one doubts that ovarian cancer is a devastating diagnosis, often found when the disease...
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Why more primary care doctors are referring patients to specialists
According to a recent study from the Archives of Internal Medicine, primary care physicians are referring more patients to specialists than ever...
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Should Google censor anti-vaccine claims?
One of the reasons there is such a movement against vaccines is the democratization of information, perpetuated by search engines like Google....
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Radiologists who cheat on their board exams: Who’s to blame?
In a widely circulated CNN article, many radiologists have been found to cheat on their board exams: "Doctors around the country taking an...
Physician
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Why an anesthesiologist would be needed for organ donation
I've only had to declare death a couple of times. Once in a three-year-old and once in an adult. In each case...
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5 ways to avoid a misdiagnosis
Billionaire Teddy Forstmann had been diagnosed with a serious form of brain cancer. There’s a tragic twist to the story: according to...
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Benefits of the Medicare Adult Wellness Visit
One of the things I love about family medicine is that I get to care for people of all ages. I almost...
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Cancer has a way of teaching us poignant life lessons
I just finished reading George’s recent post on Evelyn Lauder, who recently passed away from ovarian cancer, and am still stirred by...
Patient
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In love there is a life giving force
Here is a toast to the miracle of love. Not to the romantic, chocolate, dance club nightlife type of love. Not warm...
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How to get ready for death
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet...
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The long term cost of a pain in the neck
One morning this May, I woke up with a stiff neck. I applied hot and cold therapy all day and took an...
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Preparing for your visit with someone in hospice care
Visiting someone who is dying or critically ill is an experience many of us will have in the course of our lives....
Policy
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AMA: Advocating for Medicare, military and fiscal responsibility
A guest column by the American Medical Association, exclusive to KevinMD.com. This week, I’m joining hundreds of physicians and medical students in Washington, DC...
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A critical look at value driven health care
Everyone in the world is talking about “value-driven health care.” Or so it might seem if you pick up a medical journal...
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Surviving the new landscape of physician reimbursement
CNN recently posted an article titled "Doctors Going Broke." It described several cases of independent physicians who are near bankruptcy although they once...
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Doctors lobby Congress to repeal the SGR
One of the things that I like most about my job is engaging with ACP’s physician leadership—the internal medicine doctors who dedicate...
Tech
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There is a patient attached to that implantable defibrillator
As a follow-up to my post on why patients with implantable defibrillators should have access to their device’s data, I am going...
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The pitfalls of email communication with patients
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reviewed the emerging role of email in healthcare, arguing that doctors should more aggressively...
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Why adoption of EHRs is a transformational event for physicians
Paul Conslato, MD, director of clinical affairs for Lancaster General Medical Group, recently was quoted in the PAMED Better Health Network eZine...
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Why EMR is a dirty word to many doctors
Don’t get me wrong, EMRs (electronic medical records) are inevitable. Over the long-run they are almost certainly good for physicians, patients and...
Social Media
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Using Twitter to deliver health improvement messages
I have decided to spam for public health. Phone calls, text messaging, and even apps have been shown to help improve health...
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Addressing comments on your medical practice’s Facebook page
Does your medical practice allow anybody to post links and comments on your Facebook page? The short answer is yes. We do....
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The Internet is where patients go for pre-visit consultations
As a physician, technology cannot replace you, but it can make you more efficient and effective. This was the message from Richard...
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5 ways doctors can benefit from professional connections
Looking ahead to the next several months, I’ve found myself frequently wondering how many physicians will make this their year to take...
