Clinical care for Obesity and Diet Related illnesses needs more attention to Societal Determinants of Health Article from NEJM website about how despite rates of obesity starting to level off overall, the lowest income and minority populations continue to show a sharp increase. A focus on those factors as contributory needs to be a part of the discussion.
Social stigma makes the opioid crisis hard to confront (7min) There are many reasons why the opioid crisis is so hard to confront. One of them is social stigma. It often extends beyond users themselves, to their families. People see addiction as a moral weakness, and by extension, the moral weakness of their families.
When drinking ruins your liver - should you qualify for a transplant? When patients develop alcohol liver disease, they are often forced to wait 6 months to prove they can abstain from alcohol before they will be considered for a transplant. Is that a fair amount of time? Is that a fair practice at all?
Withholding surgery: How gaps in policy fail people who inject drugs A recent New York Times article described a harrowing situation faced by some people who inject drugs and develop endocarditis, a life-threatening infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settle in the heart. The article described doctors in Tennessee deciding whether to perform repeat costly heart surgeries on patients who were re-infected with endocarditis as a result of ongoing illicit drug use—and at times declining to operate. There are policy failures that are to blame, too, for how and why resources are allocated this way. This looks at those failures and how our bias influences both the policies and how they are applied.
Injecting Drugs can ruin a heart - how many second chances should a user get? A life-threatening heart infection afflicts a growing number of people who inject opioids or meth. Costly surgery can fix it, but the addiction often goes unaddressed.
Doctors with Disabilities: Why They’re Important Doctors with disabilities are changing the landscape of the medical profession. They offer a comforting experience for patients, especially patients with similar disabilities. More disabled individuals interested in the medical field should be encouraged and supported to pursue a medical career.
Sex Talk Still Stigmatized in the Doctor’s Office Article describes why many patients hesitate to bring up sex and sexual dysfunction in the doctors office, and why many doctors are uncomfortable broaching the topic. Author recommends that patients should not feel uncomfortable raising the topic with physicians if they have a question or concern.
Weight Stigma: Doctors Guilty of Prejudice Against Obese, Too by Lisa Nainggolan Healthcare workers, even those who work at hospitals dedicated to research and treatment of obesity, are biased against those who are obese. The healthcare implications are obvious…and worrisome.
Sunday Dialogue: Conversations between Doctor and Patient A series of letters that debate whether clinicians should be assertive or let the patient decide.
When the Nurse Disagrees with the Doctor by Theresa Brown How we engage in a dialogue when conflict exists between healthcare professionals is often the most important issue.
"Erasing Death" Explores the Science of Resuscitation by Sam Parnia, M.D. Dr. Sam Parnia, a critical care doctor and director of resuscitation research at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine, studies what people experience between the moment that their heart stops beating and after they have been resuscitated.
Hospitals and Families Still Struggle to Define Death by Maanvi Singh Death seems to be one of life’s few certainties...or is it? In this narrative, Maanvi Singh tells the story of the conflict surrounding a 13-year old girl and a 33 year old woman, both kept on life support while legally dead.
Doctors with Disabilities: Why They’re Important Doctors with disabilities are changing the landscape of the medical profession. They offer a comforting experience for patients, especially patients with similar disabilities. More disabled individuals interested in the medical field should be encouraged and supported to pursue a medical career.
Sex Talk Still Stigmatized in the Doctor’s Office Article describes why many patients hesitate to bring up sex and sexual dysfunction in the doctors office, and why many doctors are uncomfortable broaching the topic. Author recommends that patients should not feel uncomfortable raising the topic with physicians if they have a question or concern.
Weight Stigma: Doctors Guilty of Prejudice Against Obese, Too by Lisa Nainggolan Healthcare workers, even those who work at hospitals dedicated to research and treatment of obesity, are biased against those who are obese. The healthcare implications are obvious…and worrisome.
Sunday Dialogue: Conversations between Doctor and Patient A series of letters that debate whether clinicians should be assertive or let the patient decide.
"Erasing Death" Explores the Science of Resuscitation by Sam Parnia, M.D. Dr. Sam Parnia, a critical care doctor and director of resuscitation research at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine, studies what people experience between the moment that their heart stops beating and after they have been resuscitated.