Why media needs to stick to the evidence about diets

--------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors [How to stop making patients pay the price for poor communications](. 30% of malpractice lawsuits cited communication as a contributing factor. Learn how you can improve your hospital’s communications to enhance care team coordination and patient care. [Read now](. For every hour with a patient, doctors spend two more hours on EHR documentation -- and [this increased burden has introduced patient safety risks](. How can practices [reduce these unanticipated consequences?]( More than 51% of physicians attribute burnout to excessive administrative burdens and bureaucratic duties, among other things. Learn [simple changes]( in daily workflow that one doctor made to add up to [5 hours back]( into each day to create healthier patients and happier doctors. [New video]( What if your clinicians spent far less time trying to communicate and far more time collaborating as a team? No more phone tag, or outdated contact sheets and call schedules. Just fast, accurate, and secure communications that fit within their workflows so they’re more efficient and create a better patient experience. [Watch now](. [Patient misidentification can lead to medical errors, patient harm, and costly inefficiencies]( for providers. Get the facts on patient misidentification, and [learn how to avoid it]( from organizations that use biometrics to do so. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Mar 12, 2018 [Why media needs to stick to the evidence about diets]( Two of the most well-known American food journalists have been telling readers that the DASH and Mediterranean diets are not tops for our health. But hang on — the evidence tells a different story. The journalists are Gary Taubes, the author of The Case Against Sugar, and Nina Teicholz, the author of the bestselling, The […] [Commit to a conversation about the gender pay gap]( The gender pay gap is a hot-button issue among women physicians. A few years ago at a local women physicians group meeting, I listened in awe as a gynecologist discussed interviewing for a job early in her career. She and her male co-resident were under consideration for the same position. Upon touching base with her […] [Do doctors see patients as machines?]( An excerpt from Physician: How Science Transformed the Art of Medicine. While working at a community hospital in the Midwest in the early 2000s, I came to know Walter Stephenson (name changed), who was under my medical care during a lengthy recovery from multiple complications related to Diabetes. 40-year-old Walter was going through a stressful phase […] [Why seminary? Or, why are you non-traditional?]( “Why are you in seminary?” As a “non-traditional applicant,” I was asked this question on every medical school interview four years ago. I’ve come to learn that seminary training engenders stereotypes and mythopoeia. My mentors knew this, and advised me to have examples ready related to the importance of being trained in fields that both […] [The #MeToo movement in medicine can’t come too soon]( I’m a trial attorney, and I’m a woman. Since 76 percent of all lead trial counsel are men, I know what it’s like to be a woman in a traditionally male profession. I also give workshops to women in the medical profession, and I listen to their stories of harassment. I’ve been following the #MeToo movement with […] --------------------------------------------------------------- Interested in learning more about HIPAA compliance? [This newly released podcast]( featuring Loretta Duncan of SVMIC, covers the rules, requirements, and restrictions as it's related to privacy and health information. --------------------------------------------------------------- [“Medicine Ain’t What It Used to Be” from Medicine the Musical]( A song from Medicine the Musical by Michael Ehrenreich. Support the Kickstarter campaign to bring the production closer to completion. Medicine the Musical is a unique musical that brings the world of medicine and medical school to the public in an accessible and entertaining way. Set to a dynamic rock score, Medicine the Musical follows a group of first year medical students […] [Online ratings have me scared for the future of medicine]( When did patient satisfaction become more important than appropriate medical care? Medicine has been turned into a service with bonuses related to the patient’s satisfaction score. There is a complete disregard for the appropriate medical care if the patient is dissatisfied with what they’re told. Doctors are so afraid of losing satisfaction scores and getting […] [The opioid crisis hits children]( In past years, the opioid crisis has become a topic of interest among the adult population. More recently, attention has grown surrounding the pediatric population, as well. In fact, the topic was included in the State of the Union address given by President Trump just a few weeks ago. He vowed to end the crisis […] [A patient becomes a medical student]( I was a four-year-old kid when I was about to begin my first day of school. I was born and raised 20 kilometers away from the big city in a small rural area with minimal essential amenities — for example, schools, roads, and hospitals. Like all other kids, it was a momentous occasion for me […] [A physician’s faith in God]( My testimony is quite an odd one, similar to my professional journey. I came to believe in God on a medical mission trip in Honduras when I was about twenty-one years old. A staunch atheist at the time, I was interested in beefing up my medical school application. A local church donated thousands of dollars […] [Are patients using social media to attack physicians?]( I have a colleague who is a pediatrician in private practice in the suburbs. He has a great practice and loves his patients. One day, he walked in 15 minutes late to a 7:00 a.m. meeting we both attend. “Moms are calling early today.” Parents in his practice have learned to bypass their elaborate phone […] [The FDA-approved concussion blood test isn’t ready for prime time]( As an emergency medicine physician, a sports medicine physician who has spent countless hours on the sideline, and a concussion researcher, I spent a few minutes on Valentine’s Day reading with great interest the FDA release about a concussion biomarker. Currently, the diagnosis of a concussion is a timely, complicated task, taking into account both […] [What physicians should know about sanctuary cities]( “Philadelphia is a sanctuary where we can live in peace,” said Mrs. Lopez, a patient at a local clinic caring for the undocumented. “It wasn’t always this way, and we lived in constant fear,” she added, referring to Philadelphia’s recent adoption of “sanctuary city” policies, adopted also by dozens of other cities and counties across […] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Physician Speaking by KevinMD](. Find vetted, handpicked physician speakers that shine on stage. [Your audience deserves the best](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Solving health care’s hand-washing puzzle]( A confounding and deadly disconnect teems throughout hospitals. Professionals whose careers are devoted to improving health outcomes consistently put their patients at risk of infection. Less than half of nurses and other caregivers consistently wash their hands before interacting with a patient, despite decades of studies and guidelines heralding the positive impact this simple — but not easy — […] [Low income is a neglected public health issue]( Public health and poverty go hand in hand, the latter oftentimes affecting the former. While the root of poverty is complicated, political, and rarely based on an individual’s capacity to succeed, it has more profound, long term effects that go beyond the bank account. Consider a reality where wage theft — that is, nonpayment of […] [Unnecessary testing wastes money and can lead to further testing]( Unnecessary testing wastes money and can lead to further testing. Why does it occur? Almost 60% of medical personnel surveyed at a large academic medical center believed that hospitalized patients should have daily laboratory testing. Of 1,580 attending physicians, fellows, residents, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses sent surveys, 837 (53%) responded; 393 (47%) were […] [MKSAP: 50-year-old man with a firm, darkly pigmented papule]( Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 50-year-old man is evaluated for a firm, darkly pigmented papule on his back that has been growing steadily over a period of several months. His medical history is unremarkable, and he takes no medications. On physical examination, vital signs are […] [A physician unplugs for a week. You should, too.]( Hello, my name is Sandy, and I’m a screenaholic. I’m incessantly plugged in and over-absorbed in my smartphone. Who texted? Who emailed? What might I miss if I’m not constantly connected to a five-inch touchscreen? Like many of you, I’ve succumbed to our culture of screens and “now, now, now.” I’m moving at an unsustainable […] [Doctors: Don’t forget to take care of yourselves]( It’s 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, and I’m finishing up my notes for my patient visits from this morning while I do my bowel prep for my colonoscopy tomorrow. Now, I know we can argue the biomechanical challenges of doing both of these tasks at the same time, and this certainly may be TMI, but […] [A patient’s expertise is often undervalued]( Thanks to a surprising and devastating diagnosis, I know more than most physicians about what it’s like to live with the brain cancer known as glioblastoma, everything from self-titrating my anti-epileptic medications to making sure the right ICD-10 code appears on my MRI referrals. As much as I’d rather not have this expertise, I’ve learned that […] [Everything physicians should know about REITs]( Once upon a time I wrote an article about private real estate investment trusts (REITs). These are some of the favorite tools of salesmen masquerading as financial advisors (there’s a reason they’re called “brokers”). They would sell these investments with a promise of high income. 8% yields were not uncommon. The value of these REITs were not […] --------------------------------------------------------------- If a friend sent you this email and you want to subscribe, go to [KevinMD](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 345 Hudson Street New York NY 10014 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](