The Podcast by KevinMD

"A majority of physicians see between 11 and 20 patients per day, and among all practices, the majority of doctors spend between 17 and 24 minutes with each patient. Assuming a five-day workweek, this translates to more than 900 patient interactions per year and over 1,066 minutes spent communicating with patients. Today, many of these interactions fall short of effective communication so pivotal to building rapport, trust, and loyalty with patients and ultimately driving down the bottom-line results. While most physicians are compassionate by nature, many struggle to convey that compassion. A recent survey on doctor-patient interactions found that 71% of patients reported they've experienced a lack of compassion when speaking with a medical professional, and 73% stated that they always or often feel rushed by their doctor. These findings highlight the need for medical professionals to develop the 'soft skills' – verbal and non-verbal communication techniques, listening skills, and empathy – critical for transforming the patient experience, increasing patient satisfaction, and improving outcomes." Anthony Orsini is neonatologist and founder, The Orsini Way. He is the author of It's All In The Delivery: Improving Healthcare Starting With A Single Conversation. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "The case for compassionate communication." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/the-case-for-compassionate-communication.html)

"Around the time of the coronavirus outbreak, 2019 also marked a full century since the death of Sir William Osler, who revolutionized medical training. Despite some lingering debate over whether Dr. Osler's pneumonia-related death should be counted among the 50 million lost to the 1918 influenza pandemic, his notes suggest that he believed the flu precipitated his demise. As a chaplain who teaches medical humanities and professional identity formation in a medical school, I've been thinking about how Dr. Osler might have guided medical students during COVID-19. Here, the evidence is a little clearer. Dr. Osler advocated for trainees to 'let no day pass without contact with the greatest literature in the world,' and to spend 30 minutes each night reading from a bedside library of ten classics. Included among these recommended texts were the Old and New Testaments and Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici, a physician's spiritual testament." Elizabeth J. Berger is an advanced practice board-certified chaplain and a narrative medicine specialist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Why spiritual health is so important for medical students." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/why-spiritual-health-so-important-for-medical-students.html)

"Our country, and the world, is beyond exhausted by COVID-19 and the utter chaos and destruction of lives it has caused. All people, including physicians, are being pushed beyond capacity. What do we mean, collateral damage? Originally related to war: the unintended result of a terrible, unprecedented event or action. We may not be in a traditional war, but make no mistake, we are in a war. We can and must do better for our mentally ill patients. They deserve it. Their families deserve it. As physicians, we took an oath to care for all people, not just those with a 'cool kid's disease.' It is time." Ann L. Contrucci is a pediatrician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Mental health care is the not so silent collateral damage of COVID-19." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/07/mental-health-care-is-the-not-so-silent-collateral-damage-of-covid-19.html)

"Antiracism requires action-oriented work and calls us to ask, how will we work to become antiracist? How will we change our institutional culture and systems to become antiracist? As Latina medical students, we have seen and experienced racism in many aspects of society and have felt the need to change our institutional culture. If we act now, we will foster physician leaders adequately equipped to address health disparities. We are calling on other Latinx people, other non-Black people, and allies in medicine to go beyond these protests and commit to the journey of antiracism and health equity for all." Yesenia Salazar and Camila Hurtado are medical students. The share their stories and discuss their KevinMD article, "Declaring racism as a public health crisis from the lens of two Latinx student doctors." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/07/declaring-racism-as-a-public-health-crisis-from-the-lens-of-two-latinx-student-doctors.html)

"In medicine, empiric therapy is treatment that is administered based on the probability of success because we don't have all of the information. We make our 'best guess.' Actually, empiric decision-making exists in our everyday lives — running the garbage disposal when the sink is clogged, jiggling the key in the lock when it doesn't turn. Mr. Thomas was in stable condition, and I estimated that his chances of finding an answer to his chest pain with another specialist, was very low. It was time to make my best guess. I explained my theory to Mr. Thomas and suggested we try some myofascial bodywork. In the best case, he would feel a difference; and in the worst case, he would feel a little sore and looser in his body, but without pain relief. Mr. Thomas was definitely interested. With hope and caution, we proceeded. I started with the sides of his chest … zig … then his abdominals … zag … then low back … zig … I checked with him frequently as he groaned with each maneuver, but he always nodded to continue. When the trial was over, I helped him sit up on the exam table." Cathy Kim is a family physician and can be reached at Dr. Cathy. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Fascia in primary care: When chest pain is not in your chest." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/fascia-in-primary-care-when-chest-pain-is-not-in-your-chest.html)

"While there is a myriad of expert opinions on what long term effects this pandemic will have on our children and their physical and mental health, we must also remember the age-old idiom: this too shall pass. We must also be sensitive to not add to parents' already full plates. Meditation is not meant to be another task on the already burdened shoulder of parents, but quite the opposite: a way to cope with the increasing demands placed on us by the pandemic. Despite the ubiquitous and understandable parental concerns regarding what type of adults these baby zoomers will turn out to be, pediatricians have a unique opportunity to counsel and provide some small silver linings. For example, many children are learning to adapt quickly to unpredictable situations. Many are becoming adept in technology, which will give them lifelong computer proficiency that may help in future careers. Many more are becoming excellent self-learners, and many parents are getting a unique opportunity to observe their children in a classroom setting. Finally, pediatricians can suggest the introduction of meditation and mindfulness as a means to counteract the possible negative effects the pandemic may have on our children." Ana Pal and Samira Hodges are pediatricians. They can be reached on Twitter @thepedipals. They share their story and discuss their KevinMD article, "Why the pandemic is the perfect opportunity to introduce meditation to children." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/why-the-pandemic-is-the-perfect-opportunity-to-introduce-meditation-to-children.html)

"Appreciation in the personal finance world has two different components to it: Quantitative: increasing value of net worth and financial assets Qualitative: feeling of gratitude for one's finances, resources, and circumstance. This is not dependent on the dollar amount. These are both important, but the qualitative is the best predictor of increasing wealth and personal wellbeing. We are programmed by these components, which makes our brain to focus on what is wrong and what is insufficient. We tend to focus on what needs to be fixed than what we already have. When all our attention is on what needs fixing in our lives, our relationships, and our finances, we spiral into negative feelings." Latifat Alli-Akintade is a gastroenterologist and can be reached at MoneyFitMD. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Appreciation in the personal finance world." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/appreciation-in-the-personal-finance-world.html)

"While the rise in substance use disorders during COVID will become more apparent as the pandemic eventually ebbs, the silver lining is that this is not a novel problem. We understand substance use disorders far better than we understand COVID-19, and we also know that one of the largest obstacles to treatment is the shame associated with admitting that one has a problem. Furthermore, we also possess lifesaving drugs (such as Naloxone) that can prevent those with opioid use disorder from dying of an overdose. Moving forward, we in the mental health community should encourage efforts to eliminate stigmas associated with addiction. More concretely, policymakers should be ready for the increase in opioid-related overdoses and ensure first responders have access to drugs like Naloxone. Secondly, COVID-19 patients and family members should receive easier access to mental health care to improve resiliency and potentially reduce instances of substance abuse disorders that begin as PTSD-related self-medication." Samoon Ahmad is a psychiatrist. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "COVID-related stressors and increasing instances of substance abuse." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/covid-related-stressors-and-increasing-instances-of-substance-abuse.html)

"We are social beings. Evolution has taught us that in order to survive, we must work together. Community trust (trusting your fellow citizen) is a very effective way to build community resilience when hardships strike. Studies have been done in the wake of natural disasters and have shown that social infrastructure and connections have equal, if not more, impact on the ability of a community to 'bounce back' than physical infrastructure. During this terrible pandemic, let's make compassion go viral. Let compassion be the vaccine for society. As so eloquently said by the Dalai Lama: 'Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not a luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.'" Aseem Desai is a cardiac electrophysiologist and author of Restart Your Heart. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "During this terrible pandemic, let's make compassion go viral." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/06/during-this-terrible-pandemic-lets-make-compassion-go-viral.html)

"Why real estate? By having a 'why' you want something, it'll help keep you motivated to pursue your goals when setbacks and mistakes occur. For our family, we wanted passive income streams. Passive income gives you options. I love options. It doesn't matter if you want to work forever, retire early, or change careers, multiple income sources can make it happen. Our passive income is not only tax-free, but we're also able to access it if needed, unlike traditional retirement accounts." Jeff Anzalone is a periodontist who blogs at Debt Free Dr. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Hassle-free real estate investing for busy doctors." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/hassle-free-real-estate-investing-for-busy-doctors.html)