Honest and open communication is crucial for improving outcomes in healthcare. The current hierarchical structure often hinders healthcare providers from openly sharing their fears, concerns, and worries. Breaking down these barriers and creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable to openly communicate their fears, concerns, and questions can have…
Medical errors, as well as other incidents, are not solely the result of individual mistakes. Instead, they are often caused by systematic or organizational factors that allow them to occur. The Swiss Cheese model is a useful tool for understanding system safety. Each layer represents a protective action or protocol,…
In this episode, Alisa Sano, a public health research assistant, shares her personal story of loss and the impact of medical errors on families. We will explore the complexities of the health care system, including the "swiss cheese model" and authority gradient, and the importance of open communication between health…
For doctors, the key to overcoming the challenges of a complex healthcare system is to empower yourself. With a multitude of regulations, fraud and abuse laws, HIPAA laws, and employment laws, it's no wonder that the stress and burnout rates for healthcare professionals are so high. However, by taking the…
Wellbeing in the healthcare industry cannot be achieved through individual effort alone. Simply telling healthcare professionals to be stronger, more resilient, or to seek therapy or self-care is not enough. Instead, it requires a systems-level approach to creating a supportive and nourishing work environment. This means taking an organization-wide approach…
Join us for a touching and insightful episode with Natasha Khalid, a geriatrics fellow, as she shares her personal experience of dealing with ICU psychosis in a loved one. Natasha takes us on a journey through her grandmother's story of battling Parkinson's and intestinal obstruction, and her descent into hospital-acquired…
Rare diseases can affect any family, regardless of their medical history. The common misconception that genetic diseases only run in families can lead to a false sense of security. It's important to remember that anyone can be affected by these often devastating conditions. To ensure that future generations have access…
With an estimated 30 million Americans affected by 7,000 rare diseases, it's a sad reality that many go undiagnosed for years. Lack of awareness and recognition of symptoms by physicians often leads to misdiagnosis and mistreatment. The tragedy lies in the fact that many of these diseases have an onset…
Join us as we explore the history and evolution of the orphan drug revolution with James Geraghty, a health care executive. Discover how the pharmaceutical industry of the 1970s, driven by a pursuit of predictable profitability, led to the neglect of rare diseases and the rise of the orphan drug…
As mental health and medical professionals, it's crucial that we prioritize our self-care in order to stay present and curious with our clients. This allows us to treat the person, not just the condition. Having experience with a condition is certainly an asset, but when combined with poor self-care, we…
Stress, anger, anxiety, and sleep issues can all be improved with the power of box breathing. But when our negative emotions reach a level 5 or higher, our mind triggers the fight, flight, or freeze response. This can lead to physical symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, and even panic.…
In this episode, we welcome Stephanie Straeter, a clinical psychologist. The holidays are often portrayed as a time of joy and thankfulness, but for many people, this is not the case. In fact, 3 percent of individuals struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the holidays. This episode explores the…
Being a successful clinician requires more than just delivering top-notch patient care. It also requires a level of self-awareness and the ability to work effectively with others. Gone are the days where leaders can simply give orders and expect everyone to fall in line. Today's leaders must be able to…
As a society, we hold the medical profession in high esteem and trust. And that's because all doctors are leaders in their own way. Whether you hold a formal leadership title or not, you have the power to influence and guide. But leadership comes in different forms. Some doctors are…
In this episode, we are joined by Peter Angood, MD, CEO and president, American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL). We explore the increasing value of physician leadership in health care and dive into the findings of a recent white paper produced by the AAPL. Discover why physician leadership has become…
It's important to understand and clearly communicate the importance of advance directives and end-of-life planning, not only for the benefit of our patients, but also for ourselves. We will all eventually face our own mortality, and it's crucial to have a clear understanding of what we want for ourselves in…
The nursing home industry faces a significant challenge in that staff can become desensitized to the frequent occurrence of death. When death is not taken seriously and becomes a routine occurrence, it's a concerning sign for the state of care being provided. It's crucial to maintain a sense of empathy…
In this episode, we welcome Alan Lindemann, an obstetrics-gynecology physician, to discuss the issue of autonomy and treatment for elderly patients. He shares his experiences in the long-term care setting, and the disturbing trend of interpreting do not resuscitate (DNR) orders as orders not to treat a patient. He recounts…
For physicians with a spark of entrepreneurial spirit, the first step towards pursuing their idea is to build their network and establish themselves as a physician with entrepreneurial ambitions. This can be accomplished by becoming an advisor, influencer, or early adopter for startups in their area. To find these opportunities,…
As physicians, it's important to understand the role of utilization review staff in the healthcare system. While nobody likes to play the game of ensuring proper admission status, it's a necessary part of ensuring the hospital gets paid for the care provided. If the admission status is incorrect, the hospital…
In this episode, we welcome special guest Ronald A. Zent, a family physician, to discuss the ongoing opioid crisis. With a fourfold increase in opioid prescriptions and overdose deaths from 1999-2010, Ronald shares his insights on how the medical community has been duped and the role of big pharmaceutical companies…
Building emotional strength is key to navigating life's challenges, and there are many practices you can engage in to strengthen your emotional resilience. Mindfulness, meditation, and resilience-building exercises can help you build the emotional muscle you need to get through difficult situations. Bad things will happen, but if you have…
Being surrounded by happiness while feeling sad can be especially challenging for one's mental health. The dissonance between how you're feeling and what you think you should be feeling can add an extra layer of suffering to the pain. For example, when a loved one dies, feeling sad is a…
In this episode, we welcome Jennifer Shaer, a pediatrician, to discuss the issue of physician suicide rates and how the holidays can impact mental health. Despite being one of the happiest countries in the world, Scandinavian countries like Finland and Denmark have some of the highest suicide rates, higher than…