Defensive Medicine
Defensive medicine add costs but not value to clinical care.
Aug 29, 2021•5 min
Second Opinion
An examination of medical ethics and the practitioners who define them. Sign up to receive the Second Opinion topics in newsletter form at kcrw.com/newsletters .
Episodes
Using the MRI to evaluate common back pain
While the MRI can be enormously useful for a small number of people with back pain, when overused for common back pain it can lead to some serious problems.
Aug 22, 2021•5 min
The Legacy of Albert Bandura
Bandura, one of the top five psychologists of all time challenged our approach to learning and changing human behavior.
Aug 15, 2021•5 min
Treating loneliness
Loneliness is everywhere and seems to be growing more common. The treatment isn’t medication but social connections.
Aug 08, 2021•5 min
After a diagnosis of lung cancer
Are there benefits of stopping smoking once diagnosed with lung cancer?
Aug 01, 2021•4 min
Do people have an ethical right to have cosmetic surgery?
Government insurance is provided to people for medically necessary care. But, when care is not necessary should it still be provided as a benefit?
Jul 25, 2021•5 min
Refugee Mental Health
Refugees are at high risk for all the stress of changing cultures while being without their usual supports. A bit of prevention may ease their integration into American society.
Jul 18, 2021•5 min
We need more training slots for medical residents
But, in creating new slots we need to grow health care delivery in places where the need is greatest and the trainees will have the greatest impact on improving the community’s health.
Jul 11, 2021•4 min
The double standard of medical marijuana cards
Federal laws are putting many of our young adults in a bind and creating new disparities in health care.
Jul 04, 2021•5 min
Live-Streaming Primary Care
Do the advantages of telemedicine suggest it is an innovation that should last past COVID?
Jun 27, 2021•5 min
Estimating the chance of disease
It turns out that clinicians are not very good at estimating the probability of illness which leads to unnecessary care.
Jun 20, 2021•5 min
Mistaken approval of Alzheimer’s Drug
Aducanumab is not just a drug that doesn’t seem to work, but it is an enormously expensive drug but provides false hope to desperate families.
Jun 13, 2021•5 min
Marketing low value products
If COVID-19 has taught us anything, one lesson is that we need to rethink allowing promotions for treatments that are overdone, unnecessary, or not proven effective.
Jun 06, 2021•5 min
Using incentives to drive health care
For years we have used incentives and disincentives to drive people toward specific behaviors. Is driving toward COVID immunization any different?
May 30, 2021•4 min
Selecting your type of health care provider
Rather than selecting a health care provider based on ability and training, people often rely on demographic data and look for someone they think is like them.
May 23, 2021•5 min
The Promotion of Medical Devices
For years pharmaceutical companies have provide gifts and kickbacks to doctors who prescribed their drugs. Medical device manufacturers are now playing the same game and it’s costing all of us.
May 16, 2021•5 min
Involving Palliative Care too late
Asking health care providers a simple question is surprisingly accurate at predicting how long a person has to live and this information can make a big difference in how people chose to live what time they have left.
May 09, 2021•4 min
Protecting victims of domestic violence
It is time to re-look at laws intended to protect victims of domestic violence as they have had unintended consequences
May 02, 2021•5 min
Hospitalizing someone against their will
Involuntary hospitalization is not an easy decision to make and involves balancing ethical, moral and legal issues while trying to protect a person and society.
Apr 25, 2021•4 min
Overtreatment of common infections with antibiotics
It turns out the number of days providers treat common infections with an antibiotic is simply too long.
Apr 18, 2021•5 min
The conflicts of interest between academic medical centers and medical industries
For years there has been a symbiotic relationship between these two giants but its time for increased transparency and some guiderails governing appropriate behaviors.
Apr 11, 2021•5 min
The complexities in diagnosing mental illness
Making a diagnosis of a mental illness can be difficult and there is a great overlap between normal and illness.
Apr 04, 2021•5 min
The Complexities of Cannabis Use
Like any drug, cannabis has risks and benefits. Unfortunately, we are still limited in our knowledge of both.
Mar 28, 2021•5 min
Unequal access to palliative care
Palliative care has much to offer in wrap-around services but it is being enormously underused particularly for people with illnesses other than cancer.
Mar 21, 2021•4 min
The impact of open medical records
A new law requires all medical records including clinician’s notes to be freely available to patients. Depending on your perspective this is either a long overdue transparency benefit or a hinderance to good medical care.
Mar 12, 2021•5 min
Accuracy of newly approved cancer drugs
Why is that results from drug research studies are so much rosier than the experience using those same drugs in the real world?
Mar 07, 2021•4 min
Unplanned pregnancies and contraceptives
Long acting reversible contraceptive (LARC’s) are under-used and often too expensive for many women – but this significantly restricts a woman’s contraceptive autonomy.
Feb 28, 2021•5 min
The health risks of eating chicken eggs
There as been lots of controversy on the health impact of eating eggs but some recent good studies suggest we may finally be reaching consensus.
Feb 21, 2021•4 min
The impact of stigma on sex workers
Sex workers often experience stigma both related to their occupation as well as to mental health issues they may face.
Feb 14, 2021•5 min
Treatments that just don’t work
While it often seems better to do something, there are times when it may be better to do nothing – such as taking Vitamin D or Homeopathic medicines.
Feb 07, 2021•5 min