Benjamin Donham, M.D.’s Post

BMJ: Rapid Response: Steps doctors and other medical professionals can take today to improve medical care for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Dr Harvey writes: "The current lack of services does not preclude care improvements. As doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, you can help to reduce the suffering and dismissal we experience." She continues: "At least 50% of people with Long Covid meet the criteria for ME, meaning the number of people in the UK with this devastating disease is dramatically increasing and is estimated to stand at more than 1.25 million." Read the letter in full here: https://lnkd.in/eQrHAu8P Please read the ME Association statement about the lack of understanding and inadequate management of people with severe ME/CFS when admitted to hospital below: https://lnkd.in/eCec8t5m #pwME #MECFS #MyalgicE #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #SevereME #NICEguideline #HealthcareProfessionals #MedicalEducation

Family Medicine: The Center of Primary Care. Family physicians are uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive health care for individuals of all ages, from newborns to seniors, treating a wide range of ailments. Unlike other specialties focused on specific organs or diseases, family medicine stands out for its holistic approach to health care. Shout out to all my family physicians allover the world👏🏼👏🏼 #FamilyMedicine #PrimaryCare #HealthcareSpecialists #familyphysician

Managing drug-seeking patients in the emergency department requires a nuanced approach. Here are 10 tips to help emergency medicine providers navigate these encounters effectively. #emergencymedicine #patientcare

This insightful article sheds light on the importance of enhancing remote lung monitoring to reduce the number of hospital admissions and emergency department visits. By monitoring patients frequently, there is a possibility of identifying those who are decompensating earlier, leading to better care management even before the situation turns into an emergency. Check out the article here: https://lnkd.in/dKJGe6_d

In the first video of the PHA Classroom video series, “Assessing Risk in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Is Your Treatment Plan Working?,” Kathy McCloy, nurse practitioner, explains how health care providers can use risk assessments to evaluate pulmonary arterial hypertension patients. Watch the first of nine videos to learn the benefits of PAH risk assessments. https://ow.ly/3m2Q50Sqjvf

EMERGENCY ROOM referral webinar TOMORROW! Tune in on July 16th as Dr. Evan Katz DC, alongside emergency medicine expert Dr. Shannon Sovndal MD, discusses the pivotal role of direct referrals in patient care continuity. This session will focus on the integration of chiropractic and specialty care in emergency medicine, aiming to streamline patient transfers from the ER to specialized treatments. Gain actionable insights into building a collaborative healthcare environment that ensures swift and effective patient care. In this webinar, you’ll learn: How emergency room workflows can integrate chiropractic and specialized referrals to improve patient care. The importance of building professional networks between ER teams and specialists to facilitate quick and effective patient referrals. Insightful discussions from real-world experiences of doctors on the front lines, focusing on practical strategies for seamless patient transitions from emergency care to follow-up treatments. Join Professionally Integrated today to become part of a dynamic referral network that connects you with other healthcare professionals, expanding your reach and enhancing your practice’s capabilities. This network is not only for chiropractors but is also ideal for physical therapists, physiatrists, osteopaths, occupational therapists, personal injury attorneys, and other specialists seeking to build professional relationships and improve patient care through collaborative practice. Date: July 16, 2024 Time: 6:30 pm MST + Live Q&A FREE registration for Gold and Premium Members of the Professionally Integrated site. $500 for Non-Members. Here’s the link to the event for members. They must be logged in to see the event page. https://lnkd.in/gvTRj64w   When we offer an event to non-members (paid), they must use a different link: https://lnkd.in/gHEdt2bj #professionallyintegrated #chiropractor #chiropractic #referral #newpatients #personalinjury #opioidalternative

This thoughtful young ER doctor brilliantly captured the cruelty, causes, and consequences of ER crowding. It persists because our healthcare system’s priorities are revenue maximization and accommodation of better-paying elective admissions. As a result, countless seriously ill and injured ER patients, young and old, who need hospitalization are forced to languish in emergency department treatment bays or even hallways for hours or days on end until a bed is available. Meanwhile, new arrivals keep coming, leading to dangerous ER crowding. The toll this takes on patients, their families, and the dedicated ER nurses and docs who do their best to help them is incalculable. Moral injury is rampant. The only thing missing from the story is how long this has gone on. More than 30 years ago I served on ACEPs first overcrowding task force. Throughout my career at every level from front line doctor and ER director to department chair, dean and for a time, health system CEO I pushed for change. So have many others. Policy efforts included journal articles, Hill briefings, a major 3 report series by the National Academy of Medicine, congressional hearings and meetings with AHA, CMS, TJC, quality assurance organizations and many, many others. Resistance has always been passive (no one dares publicly state that the status quo is acceptable), but meaningful action has not followed. Three decades on, it is one of the keenest disappointments of my career. I hope and pray that American healthcare will finally grow a conscience and fix this problem. Emergency physicians and nurses can’t do it alone. https://lnkd.in/e8pEQVRT

It is important that hospital administrators and hospice providers with contracts for inpatient services in a licensed hospital are aware of amendments to posted investigation information in general hospitals, special hospitals, and psychiatric hospitals. This change is in implementation of provisions of House Bill (HB) 49 from the 88th Texas Legislature. The hospital administration should, as a factor in development and implementation of plans for correction and change management, review mitigation of harm or potential for harm to patients, examine root causes of non-compliance, and address public perception of negative outcomes that resulted in citations. #hospitalmanagement #hospital #hospice #hospiceinpatient #hospiceadministrator #HB49 #TEXASHOSPITALS https://lnkd.in/gHJa4E6S

Complex older adult patients who present to the emergency department with a medical condition may need further evaluation and care while they receive treatment. An observation stay may be an extension of the geriatric evaluation and management started in the geriatric emergency department and can help to avoid a hospital admission. This JGEM study outlines best practices for observation stays, which are the same as those for the Acute Care for Elders Model: https://lnkd.in/eTWT8hPT

A new study published in #MedicalCare , led by Karen Lasater, provides evidence on the risks associated with reducing the proportion of RNs delivering patient care in hospital settings. Key findings include higher patient mortality, increased readmissions, and negative financial consequences for hospitals. Read the full study at https://lnkd.in/extz3UzK #NurseStaffing  #PatientSafety  #Nurses4All #CHOPR #UPennNursing @LindaAiken, Matthew McHugh, PhD, JD, MPH, RN, and Jane Muir