Do health care providers have a duty to work during pandemics?
Physicians, nurses, and others at UCD are faced with a time-honored dilemma do they assume some risk to themselves to provide care to the public?
Mar 01, 2020•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
There is so much we don’t know about cannabis
Without more research we could be under-utilizing the benefits of cannabis or over using the drug and causing additional problems. There’s only one way to find out, and that’s with well conducted research.
Feb 23, 2020•5 min
Hospital bills can have an impact on our health
Full disclosure of hospital charges and POOMS (patient oriented outcomes that matter to us) will help drive the system toward higher quality care and lower costs.
Feb 16, 2020•5 min
Reducing hospital infections
Sometime simple solutions can have huge benefits. A group of nurses found putting some money where the mouth is can save lives and reduce costs. The cost? $1.35.
Feb 09, 2020•5 min
Pandemics vs Epidemics
Is the spread of global disease the new normal?
Feb 02, 2020•5 min
Vaccines and the N-Corona Virus
First SARS, then MERS, and now N-Corona suggest we have a new normal.
Jan 26, 2020•5 min
Bias can have a large impact on health
There are many social determinants that greatly impact health, but one that takes place within the health care system is implicit bias.
Jan 19, 2020•6 min
Natural Gas and health
N atural gas isn’t as healthy as producers maintain, and it’s health impacts aren’t just on humans.
Jan 12, 2020•5 min
Unnecessary lab tests pushed by a vendor
Health care costs continue to rise, and much of this is due to unnecessary tests and procedures that do not improve length or quality of life. One area that is rarely discussed are clinical laboratories that push doctors to do tests that are simply not needed.
Jan 05, 2020•5 min
Putting off serious health care treatments
Americans spend twice what other developed nations spend on health care and we certainly are not any healthier because of that spending
Dec 29, 2019•5 min
As long as your around your family…
Collecting a good family medical history can be useful for the entire family.
Dec 22, 2019•4 min
Sending children with HIV to school in Uganda
Schools should serve as safe places for HIV infected children - a place where they can receive support and encouragement. But, in Uganda where HIV still carries stigma schools can create havoc for infected children.
Dec 15, 2019•5 min
The plague of Romanian health care
Despite large barriers, Romania struggles to provide its 20 million citizens with adequate health care.
Dec 08, 2019•5 min
Epigenetics
We are more than just the sum of our genes - the environment in which those genes work can have a large impact on our physical and mental health.
Dec 01, 2019•5 min
The impact of gratitude
It feels good, but there is biology that suggests it actually improves health.
Nov 24, 2019•5 min
The risks and benefits of daily aspirin
Times have changed and new data suggests that daily aspirin isn’t as helpful as once thought.
Nov 17, 2019•4 min
A tale of two dying patients
Culture plays a huge role in how we manage our last living days.
Nov 10, 2019•5 min
Medicine is plagued by miscommunication
While miscommunication is never good, in medicine it can lead to poorer medical outcomes and overall dissatisfaction.
Nov 03, 2019•5 min
The unsung heroes of the American health care system
40 million American provide some level of care to members of their family, and for most it isn’t easy.
Oct 27, 2019•5 min
The necessity of taking supplements to improve health
Those supplements you’re taking and paying lots for – do they really provide any benefits?
Oct 20, 2019•5 min
Is it safe to increase consumption of red meat?
The science behind a recent report is not credible due to financial conflicts of interests by the funder. Why were these conflicts not detected by the medical journal?
Oct 13, 2019•5 min
Success at preventing HIV but putting profit ahead of public health
Why can a society that is clever enough to create a drug to prevent the spread of HIV not find a why to make it affordable?
Oct 06, 2019•4 min
The Unionization of Medicine - part 2
It's hard to tell if the unionization of the medical profession is good or bad for patient care. But it seems to be a growing movement.
Sep 29, 2019•4 min
The Unionization of Medicine – part 1
While politicians talk about change in health care, those on the front lines have not seen much change and it is effecting their lives.
Sep 22, 2019•5 min
Women’s poor health not only a result of poverty
While poverty is a potent driver of poor health care there are other factors such as access, the health care system, patients, culture, and health care providers.
Sep 15, 2019•4 min
The impact of poverty on health care in Africa
In Tanzania poverty can have a devastating effect on health – particularly for women and children. But, its not just Africa that has this problem….
Sep 08, 2019•4 min
Missed opportunities at the end of life
It is time to improve communication to assure that patient’s end of life wishes are respected.
Sep 01, 2019•5 min
Medicine is plagued by conflicts of interest
Conflicts of interests impact most medical specialties, most hospitals, and many product manufactures – the conflicts all impact our health.
Aug 25, 2019•4 min
The impact of work-related stress on DNA
Preliminary studies suggest that for at least some people high stress jobs can cause harm to DNA.
Aug 18, 2019•5 min
Why does the federal government provide comprehensive care to those with end stage renal disease but not to those with other life threatening illnesses?
What we seem to have lost in our discussions on health care is bipartisan moral compass to tackle some wicked problems.
Aug 11, 2019•5 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast