The final words that are a precious reminder of why I went into medicine
I have cared for them both, husband and wife, now in their 80s, for almost 20 years. She is a retired nurse and him from his business. They are so typical of this “greatest generation”: tough, enduring, hard-working, deeply faithful, fervently independent, those characteristics that allowed them to survive the Great Depression, World War II, […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 28, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/andy-lamb" rel="tag" > Andy Lamb, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Geriatrics Hospital-Based Medicine Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
The Noble Prize for a Life Well-Lived
In honor of a beautiful and affectionate cat.RIP, beloved MaxApril 19, 2003– April 24, 2020So much acrimony and confusion and death...In the true meaning of the word, Max lived a noble life.“But he was just a cat,” you say. Yes, that ' s true. But he was loving and kind and selfless until the very end. He was a wonderful companion, and a great source of comfort to me (especially after my partner died inOctober 2018).Max and SandraFeb. 2, 2017He was cherished by previous caretakers and human friends, who showered him with gifts.Christmas Eve, 2017Christmas Day, 2018But now he ' s gone and life continues, filled with a...
Source: The Neurocritic - April 26, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: The Neurocritic Source Type: blogs
COVID-19 is an opportunity to change the culture of death
The doom, gloom, and uncertainty surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic can be overwhelming, even for an emergency department physician such as myself. The heaviness of the situation largely stems from the deadly nature of the virus, our relatively minimal understanding of how it works, and our seeming inability to control the rapidly changing nature of […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 25, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/haleh-van-vliet" rel="tag" > Haleh Van Vliet, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
Palliative Care Could Help Improve Older Person ’s Quality of Life
Photo credit Toa Heftiba
Dear Carol: My mother is 93 years old and depressed. She has advanced macular degeneration, poor hearing and all-over arthritis pain, which can be debilitating. She has medication for heart and blood pressure, but she refuses to take her pills because they make her feel worse. I know that she’s got a lot of challenges and that she’s in pain, but when she says she’s done living, I don’t know what to say or do. I want to tell her that it will all get better, but obviously, it won’t. I’ve suggested that she see a doctor about an antidepressant. She says she doesn’t want to do that....
Source: Minding Our Elders - April 22, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Get your affairs in order, COVID-19 won ’t wait
The scourge of COVID-19 is spreading. Thousands of Americans are dying.
What can you do to help? Yes, practice social distancing, wash your hands, and donate masks to local hospitals. Also, talk to your loved ones about advance care planning.
What is advance care planning?
Advance care planning means contemplating and deciding the type of medical care you would want if you had a life-threatening illness; you are never too young or too healthy to start these conversations. It involves identifying your goals and values, learning about life-sustaining interventions — such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (measures to restar...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 22, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ashwini Bapat, MD Tags: Emergency Planning End of life Health Health care Source Type: blogs
Psychological Distress, Mental Disorder, and Assessment of Decisionmaking Capacity Under U.S. Medical Aid in Dying Statutes
Lois A. Weithorn at U.C. Hastings Law has just published "Psychological Distress, Mental Disorder, and Assessment of Decisionmaking Capacity Under U.S. Medical Aid in Dying Statutes."
This Article examines concepts of treatment decisionmaking capacity relevant to medical aid in dying as it is currently authorized in the United States. In order to be eligible for medical aid in dying in one of the ten jurisdictions now allowing such assistance, patients must be capable of making an informed health care decision. Under many of the governing statutes, special attention is given to whether a patient is “suffering from,&#...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - April 20, 2020 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs
National Healthcare Decisions Day in the Era of COVID
by Emily Riegel (@emriegel)“Why did I keep stressing what was and was not normal, when nothing ... was?” -- Joan Didion,The Year of Magical Thinking“Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” -- Benjamin FranklinIn normal times, under non-pandemic circumstances, yesterday being April 15 would have marked the United States ’ traditional Tax Day. With one certainty, taxes, already rescheduled, we know that we are not in certain or normal times. This year, the novel coronavirus pandemic elevates the immediacy of that other certainty: death.Since 2008, April 16 is designated as National Healthc...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - April 17, 2020 Category: Palliative Care Tags: advance care planning covid nhdd riegel Source Type: blogs
Cowardice in the face of coronavirus
When coronavirus exploded, my family was on vacation in Colorado. We played the news nonstop, and it was frightening. I ’m a control freak, a planner, and thus my worries were nonstop. What were other hospitals doing to prepare as compared to my own? What were the plans to ration PPE? How was the morale at […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 14, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/jordana-kozupsky-bel" rel="tag" > Jordana Kozupsky, AGNP-BC, ACHPN < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
“ Essential Oncology ” : The COVID Challenge
By CHADI NABHAN MD, MBA, FACP
One harsh Chicago winter, I remember calling a patient to cancel his appointment because we had deemed it too risky for patients to come in for routine visits—a major snowstorm made us rethink all non-essential appointments. Mr. Z was scheduled for his 3-month follow-up for an aggressive brain lymphoma that was diagnosed the prior year, during which he endured several rounds of intense chemotherapy. His discontent in hearing that his appointment was canceled was palpable; he confessed that he was very much looking forward to the visit so that he could greet the nurses, front-desk staff, ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - April 3, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: COVID-19 Hospitals Medical Practice Physicians Chadi Nabhan Clinical Trials coronavirus drug dosing Oncology Pandemic Source Type: blogs
Clinical Ethics in Catastrophic Situations: Mapping a Standard of Care — Journal of Clinical Ethics Special Publication
The Journal of Clinical Ethics has made a special publication open access - "Clinical Ethics in Catastrophic Situations: Mapping a Standard of Care."
Bedside Ethics and Health System Catastrophe: Imagine If You Will . . .Jeffrey T. Berger, Guest Editor
A Possible Application of Care-Based Ethics to People with Disabilities during a PandemicEdmund G. HoweFamily Participation in the Care of Patients in Public Health DisastersTia PowellSufficiency of Care in Disasters: Ventilation, Ventilator Triage, and the Misconception of Guideline-Driven TreatmentGriffin TrotterPandemic Preparedness Planning: Will Provisions for Involunta...
Source: blog.bioethics.net - March 31, 2020 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs
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 […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 28, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/elaine-m-colby" rel="tag" > Elaine M. Colby, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Infectious Disease Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
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 […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - March 28, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/anonymous" rel="tag" > Anonymous < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions COVID-19 coronavirus Critical Care Infectious Disease Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
Delivery of Effective Telehealth
Palliative Care Colleagues,At MGH, we have been learning a great deal about the delivery of effective telehealth in the palliative care setting through our multi-center PCORI REACH PC trial of standard in person palliative care vs telehealth palliative care. We are happy to share with you some of what we have learned in case it may be useful to you and your teams who may be asked to conduct virtual visits in the context of mitigation related to COVID-19. We have found that telehealth can lend itself well to the important work that we do. Below you will find some of the resources we have used to train and support clinicians...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - March 18, 2020 Category: Palliative Care Tags: greer jackson telehealth temel Source Type: blogs
