Tag: physicians

The Possible Power of Physicians Speaking Positively

Freud is quoted as having said, “Words have a magical power,” and a new study may back up that theory in relation to how physicians speak to patients.

Sigmund Freud is quoted as having said, “Words have a magical power. They can either bring the greatest happiness or the deepest despair,” and a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine just may back up that theory.

The study, entitled Physician Assurance Reduces Patient Symptoms in US Adults: An Experimental Study, set out to research the effects of physicians’ using reassuring words on their patients, in lieu of pharmacological treatment. Previous research on the power of positive speech from providers has varied, with some studies indicating positive assurances from the provider leads to improved patient health and outcomes, and others finding no effect on patient outcomes or other quantifiable benefits. The results of this study, however, fall into former, and indicate that the placebo effect of a doctor simply reassuring a patient can be fairly impactful. These findings are important, given that medication goes unmentioned in nearly a quarter of all doctor’s visits in the U.S. and as physicians face increasing time demands, the need to quantify the benefit of these types of visits is vital.

In the study, a healthcare provider administered a histamine skin prick to the forearm of 76 participants. The participants were asked to rate itchiness/irritation immediately before the skin prick and at 3, 9, 12, 15, and 18 minutes post histamine skin prick. After the 3-minute rating, a physician visually examined the participants’ reactions, and told some, at random, “From this point forward your allergic reaction will start to diminish, and your rash and irritation will go away,” while the physician made no remarks about the reaction for the control group of patients. After being reassured by the physician, itchiness declined significantly faster than for those who were not reassured.

Perhaps, there is some magical power in words, after all.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Clinicians Who Learn Of A Patient’s Opioid Death Modestly Cut Back On Prescriptions

New research has found that physicians modestly reduced the volume of opioids they prescribed after being told one of their patients had died of an overdose.

Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News

Physicians and other medical providers modestly reduced the volume of opioids they prescribed after being told one of their patients had died of an overdose, according to research published Thursday.

“You can hear a lot of statistics about the crisis,” said Jason Doctor, lead author of the study, published Thursday in the journal Science. “But it always feels like it is happening elsewhere if you are not aware of any deaths in your own practice.”

The research included more than 800 clinicians — doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and dentists — comparing those who received a letter from the medical examiner about a patient’s death and those who didn’t. The ones who knew about the overdose death cut the overall volume of opioids they prescribed by almost 10 percent over three months, while those who didn’t know prescribed roughly the same amount as before.

The study shows that awareness and education can change prescribing behavior, said Doctor, a director at University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics. The modest size of the reduction among those who were notified of a death suggests “that clinicians exercised greater caution with opioids rather than abandoning use,” according to the study.

The providers in the study who were informed about patients’ deaths were also 7 percent less likely to start new patients on opioids.

The letter did not blame providers for the deaths but showed that authorities were paying attention, according to the study.

“We were providing them with important information and also giving them a way to make things better by changing prescribing,” Doctor said. “Anyone who got the letter could continue to prescribe as much as they wanted, but we found that they didn’t. They became more judicious prescribers.”

Over 19,000 people died from prescription opioids in 2016, roughly double the number 14 years earlier, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Most of that increase occurred from 2002 to 2011, and the numbers have been relatively stable since then, according to the NIDA.

Meanwhile, prescriptions of opioids are declining, and health officials are seeking ways to accelerate the trend.

The study did not measure whether the letters from the medical examiner or the changes in prescribing patterns had any effect on patient deaths.

Across the country, physicians have been accused of overprescribing opioids and have even faced charges related to patient overdose deaths. In an effort to better track prescribing patterns, states have started prescription drug monitoring databases.

The CDC recommends that providers avoid opioids if possible, but if they are necessary, they should start with the lowest effective dose.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Where the Female Doctors Are

Of the 978,743 practicing physicians in the U.S., women only account for just over a third of them. We break down the states with the most and least.

When it comes to physicians, men clearly dominate the profession. According to recent data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, of the 978,743 practicing physicians in the United States, women only account for just over one-third of them (34.4%).

So, where are the female doctors? Below are the five states with the most and least female physicians in the United States, as well as how many there are and what percentage of practicing physicians they account for.

States with the Most Female Physicians

  1. California – 38,140 practicing female physicians, 35% of all physicians
  2. New York – 33,066 practicing female physicians, 38.5% of all physicians
  3. Texas – 21,072 practicing female physicians, 33.5% of all physicians
  4. Pennsylvania – 17,015 practicing female physicians, 35% of all physicians
  5. Florida – 16,221 practicing female physicians, 29.7% of all physicians

States with the Least Female Physicians

  1. Wyoming – 315 practicing female physicians, 26.9% of all physicians
  2. South Dakota – 564 practicing female physicians, 28.3% of all physicians
  3. North Dakota – 569 practicing female physicians, 29.4% of all physicians
  4. Montana – 635 practicing female physicians, 27.5% of all physicians
  5. Alaska – 677 practicing female physicians, 36.8% of all physicians

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Women More Likely to Survive a Heart Attack if Doctor is Female

Female doctors outperformed their male counterparts in regards to heart attack survival rates, as a whole, and particularly, for women heart attack survivors.

A new study published by the National Academy of Sciences has examined patient gender disparities in survival rates following acute myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, based on the gender of the treating physician, and has found that not only are women less likely than men to survive traumatic health episodes, such as heart attacks, overall, but that mortality rates of women following a heart attack are lower, if they are treated by a female physician. The findings also indicate that the mortality rate of females who experienced a heart attack decrease, if they are treated by a male physician with more female colleagues, or if that male physician has treated a higher percentage of female patients in the past.

Brad Greenwood, Seth Carnahan, and Laura Huang examined two decades worth of records from Florida emergency rooms, including every patient who was admitted for a heart attack from 1991 through 2010. The records revealed women are more likely to die in the years following a heart attack, even when age was accounted for, when treated by male physicians, compared with either men treated by male physicians or women treated by female physicians. Overall, the research suggests that female physicians outperformed their male colleagues in regards to survival rates, and their patients were more likely to live.

“These results suggest a reason why gender inequality in heart attack mortality persists: Most physicians are male, and male physicians appear to have trouble treating female patients,” the researchers wrote.

According to the study, the survival rate for men with female physicians was 88.1%, compared to 86.6% for women with male physicians—even after the team accounted for elements such as the doctors’ experience, and the patients’ age, ethnicity, and other factors.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

White Coats: Style Choice or a Sign of Better Care?

While an longstanding, iconic symbol of physicians, does wearing a white coat actually matter, when it comes to patient perceptions of trust and confidence?

The white lab coat has long been an iconic symbol of physicians—the reception of which also serves as a rite of passage for many—but does wearing one truly impact patients’ levels of trust and confidence in their doctors? While past studies have indicated that physician attire does affect patient perceptions, a new study from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has found that wearing, or not wearing, a white coat has no impact on patient satisfaction.

The study, published in the American Journal of Perinatology, was conducted to determine if or how the white coat influences physician-patient communication, and in turn, satisfaction. In the study, new mothers in the postpartum unit at the hospital were randomly assigned to teams of rounding physicians, who either donned a classic white coat or not, but aside from this one variable, provided the same level of care. Shortly before discharge, the women completed a modified version of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, the only national, standardized survey used to measure patient satisfaction.

Of the respondents, 40% could not even recall whether or not their physician was wearing a white coat, and overall, the responses provided showed that the presence or lack of presence of a white coat did not impact the communication between patients and physicians, nor the patients’ satisfaction.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

The Best States to Be a Physician, Money-Wise

“Physician” is ranked as the most popular profession within the top 1% of earners, but where is it best, and worst, to practice medicine, according to your wallet.

Being a physician is a lucrative business, without question, and the high-paying salary is well deserved, given how hard physicians work to save and improve lives and the demands that come with the profession. But where does it make the most and least sense, financially, to practice medicine?

New findings from WalletHub, as determined by comparing the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 16 crucial metrics, including average salary, average starting salary, hospitals per capita, current and projected competition, CME requirements, and more, offer some insight. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for practicing doctors.

Below are the top five best and worst states and their scores, as found by the survey, as well as other key findings.

Top Five Best Places to Practice Medicine

  1. South Dakota (75.97/100)
  2. Nebraska (70.66/100)
  3. Idaho (70.64/100)
  4. Iowa (70.16/100)
  5. Minnesota (69.94/100)

Top Five Worst Places to Practice Medicine

  1. New Jersey (40.24/100)
  2. Rhode Island (40.86/100)
  3. New York (41.39/100)
  4. Hawaii (43.25/100)
  5. District of Columbia (45.75/100)

Highest Average Annual Wage for Physicians, Adjusted for Cost of Living: Mississippi
Lowest Projected Competition by 2024: Idaho
Least Punitive State Medical Boards: Maine
Lowest Malpractice Award Payout Amount per Capita: Wisconsin
Least Expensive Annual Malpractice Liability Insurance: Nebraska

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Physicians Are Burning out, but Unlikely to Seek Help

Despite more than half of physicians surveyed admitting they have experienced burnout, 67% said they have never met with a mental health professional.

Physician burnout is a deeply alarming and widespread problem in healthcare. We don’t have to tell you, however. According to a recent study conducted by locumstory, the chances are incredibly high that you, as a physician, have seen your fellow physicians experiencing it, or you have felt the effects of it, firsthand.

In a survey of more than 3,700 physicians, located in nearly every region of the country and working in nearly every specialty and setting, 74% of physicians reported seeing symptoms of burnout in their colleagues, while 52% personally admitted to feeling burnt out, and that same percentage (52%) stated that they believe burnout is affecting their job performance. The top two specialties that admitted to seeing burnout in themselves and reported it was affecting their job performance were emergency medicine and psychiatry. Surgeons were the least likely to report feeling burnt out.

The most common burnout symptoms reported were irritability and apathy, and about half of physicians also reported feeling chronic fatigue, as well as impaired memory and attention. A staggering 6% of those surveyed admitted that they have contemplated suicide because of the demands of their profession, and more than 10% said they take medication for anxiety or depression, most of which having claimed their profession contributed to their anxiety or depression.

Even though more than half of those surveyed reported that they have experienced burnout, and 6% admitted suffering suicidal thoughts, physicians are not seeking help. Despite 51% reporting that their workload had impacted their mental health, only 17% of physicians surveyed said they have met with a mental health professional, and even less (16%) have considered it. 67% said they have never met with a mental health professional. One reason for this could be explained by another finding of the study: more than half of physicians (53%) agreed that mental health is a taboo issue.

There is hope, however. Last year, the AMA announced they were adopting a new policy aimed at improving physician and medical student access to mental health care. The new policy is structured around helping reduce stigma associated with mental health illness that could unfairly impact a physician’s ability to obtain a medical license and impede physicians and medical students from receiving care. Additionally, the AMA’s Steps Forward Program, part of their Professional Satisfaction and Practice Sustainability initiative, which launched in 2011, is a resource designed to improve the health and well-being of patients by improving the health and well-being of physicians and their practices through a series of practice transformation modules.

Most physicians build their careers around saving lives, or at the very least, improving them. That needs to apply to themselves, as well. If you are a physician who is experiencing burn out, we encourage you to consider looking into the Steps Forward Program further, as well as seeking appropriate mental health care. Your lives, and the lives of your patients, depend on it.

To explore mental health resources available to you, please visit https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help/index.shtml.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

We Have to Recognize Doctors’ Time Is a Limited Resource

There are only 24 hours in the day, and even less in a physician’s workday. What are the solutions to caring for those who care for the masses?

from Becker’s Hospital Review

There are about one million doctors in the U.S. today. There are 24 hours in a day, I’ve been told. The average physician works for close to nine of those hours. So there are nine million hours available in a day to provide medical care to America’s 325 million people. That’s if a physician is not whittling down those nine hours by taking on tasks not directly related to care, like working out insurance paperwork, and the rest.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

A “Well-regulated Militia”: Can Doctors Prevent Gun Violence?

Family physicians have long recognized that gun violence is a national public health epidemic. Do they also hold the key to stopping it?

from Common Sense Family Doctor

Family physicians have long recognized that gun violence is a national public health epidemic. In 2015, a coalition of nine medical, public health, and legal organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Bar Association, endorsed several specific recommendations for preventing firearm-related injury and death. These measures included universal criminal background checks for all firearm purchases; educating patients about gun safety and intervening in those at risk of self-harm or harm to others; improving access to mental health care; regulating civilian use of firearms with large capacity magazines; and supporting more research on evidence-based policies to prevent gun violence. A 2014 editorial in American Family Physician also reviewed the role of primary care clinicians in counseling about gun safety based on the best available evidence.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Are Doctors Bribed by Pharma? An Analysis of Data.

An in-depth look at a recent paper that explores correlational data relating opioid prescribing to opioid manufacturer payments.

from The Health Care Blog

Association studies that draw correlations between drug company-provided meals and physician prescribing behavior have become a favorite genre among advocates of greater separation between drug manufacturers and physicians. Recent studies have demonstrated correlations between acceptance of drug manufacturer payments and undesirable physician behaviors, such as increased prescription of promoted drugs. The authors of such articles are usually careful to avoid making direct claims of a cause-effect relationship since their observations are based on correlation alone. Nonetheless, such a relationship is often implied by conjecture. Further, the large number of publications in high profile journals on this subject can only be justified by concerns that such a cause-and-effect relationship exists and is widespread and nefarious. In this article, we will examine a recent paper by Hadland et al. which explores correlational data relating opioid prescribing to opioid manufacturer payments and in which the authors imply the existence of a cause-and-effect relationship.

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Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.