Friday, November 30, 2007

Show # 16 Epilogue


Well, that's another show in the can. It was weird. It's been two weeks since I've done this internet radio show, and I totally forgot how to do it. It really took a few minutes until I got back into the rhythm of things again. And, of course, there was the usual beginning of the show glitch. For some reason Skype cut out at about 16 minutes in. Why does it do that? Who knows?

The international reach of the show still amazes me. Bongi tuned in live from his computer in South Africa. And, Scanman who is in India again was able to join the chat room for the live show. Something cool (and helpful) is that when you register at the BTR site and make my show a favorite (yay), the site sends you an e-mail an hour before the show. I would imagine this is very helpful halfway around the world when you're trying to figure out which time zone you're in.

Thanks so much to Kerri for being a guest on the show. Reading her blog this week, she told us that she is being treated for strep throat. So, I really appreciate you calling in even though you're feeling under the weather. Hope you're feeling better!

I did want to highlight her post called, "An Open Letter To My Pancreas." Very well written, and I highlighted it on my Grand Rounds post last year. We talked about her blog, the growing diabetes internet community that is going on out there, her work at dlife.com, getting ready for her wedding, and she's almost convinced me to try to learn code so that I can get out of blogspot and create a unique website of my own (that would be scary, huh?)

The chat room got a little surprise at the end of the show. I'm not going to say anything, yet. And, I hope those who were there in the chat room at the end of the show will keep the little secret. I'll reveal it in due course (cue sinister laugh).

Finally, I did not have a guest for next week, until I started hanging out in the chat room afterward. Grunt Doc who joined the chat room before the show even started and stayed the entire time; Grunt Doc has graciously agreed to be a guest on next week's Doctor Anonymous Show. How cool is that? So, stay tuned for more details...

Dashing MD Podiversary


Just wanted to give a shout out to the Dashing MD for reaching the one year anniversary of podcasting. He's a great guy and you could really tell by his appearance on the show a few weeks ago. Check out his one year anniversary podcast. There, he recites poetry and tells you why his cats are better than your cats (no kidding). And, as he does best, he answers e-mail questions from his listeners. Hats off to D,MD! I wish you continued success with your podcast!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Change of Shift: Vol 2, Number 12


Welcome to Change of Shift, the best of the nursing blogosphere!

Thanks so much for Kim for inviting me to be a host. Actually, she asked me about a year ago. So, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to accept the invitation. You may be familiar with my work on Grand Rounds this year and/or last year. Hopefully, I can uphold the high quality of this nursing blog carnival.

By the way, if you haven't already, I encourage you to check out my interview with Kim on Doctor Anonymous LIVE which is my internet radio show. It was a great time and I hope to have Kim back soon on the show. Now, onto the links!



The holiday season can be very stressful, especially Christmas Eve. But, as ERNursery shares, even though the ER was packed with people, there was still room for A Holiday Surprise.

From the UK, Mousie relates a tragic story of a eight year old girl and how her death affected her mother. Reading this really made me think about a lot of things. The 20 comments really shows the impact of this story as well.

Emily from Crzegrl.net reflects on how difficult it is to be a flight nurse in her post "Potent Thanks." She writes, "I am grateful for every moment I am given with those I love." How true.



Do you remember playing the game telephone when you were growing up? Oh yeah, I did - with the soup cans and the wire and the whole thing. How does this relate to patient care? Well, Rae tells us in a post called "Let's Play Telephone." Phone triage and phone handoff of patients are always interesting. The end of the post shows how one can make a diagnosis just by talking for another 3.3 minutes on the phone.

A Float Floor RN shares a story of how difficult one shift can be. Did you know that "Sometimes It Just Hurts To Be In The Hospital" - especially when you can't get any narcan?

Kintropy In Action describes two hypothetical patients with possible diagnoses and possible treatment plans. He gives three pieces of advice from a parent of a child with disabiliies. He ends this post with a simple statement, "Let's work together, doctors, to keep her well, shall we?" I agree.



When I was a medical student (which wasn't that long ago), I remember that it was a challenge to find a case of C. difficle infection in the hospital for a case study write up. Now, it's so commonplace, that we add the letters MRSA and VRE in this discussion as well. Heart Matters reminds us that we as health care professionals and the public need to still respect C. diff and its potential fatal complications.

Speaking of MRSA, Fit Buff writes an educational post defining the term, its symptoms, and ways to prevent acquiring/spreading this contagious and potentially fatal disease.

Getting back talking about medical school, I remember my first day on the ward. It's that stereotypical first day that's depicted on television shows where virtually everybody ignores you and you as a student question why you're even there when you only feel like you're in your way. The Oracle is a student nurse now and shares a similar story in this post called, "What?"



The docs I work with at the hospital have 10-20 and sometimes 30 years more clinical experience that I do. I get intimidated when I sometimes have to say, "I think that's done a little bit differently now." Disappearing John RN asks, "How do you teach someone who knows more than you?" The story of a less experienced preceptor and a more experienced pupil.

When you pass on from this earth, have you ever thought of who will sit in judgement of you? Brain Scramble has and believes that it will not be a deity, but your patients will meet you at the pearly gates -- maybe.

What is high quality health care? This is something that Life in the NHS is asking. Even though, as a health care provider, you may hit your number targets for cost and quality numbers, the patient's perception of health care is also important.

Did you know that according to the CDC, one person out of one million who are immunized with the flu shot may be at risk of getting Guillian-Barre syndrome? The Pixel RN discusses this further and also nurse-run shot clinics.



Congrats to Pixel One, Purl Two for passing a national certification exam in her specialty. Unfortunately, she's not feeling the love from her employer who rewarded her with a huge 1/2% raise. Yeesh!

Kate from the Alternative Nursing Careers blog proclaims that nurses can do so much more than pass meds. Do you want to go beyond clinical nursing? In these posts, she outlines three steps to get you started. She also describes the career of information technology and how nurses are uniquely qualified for this type of work.

Patient privacy and confidentiality are issues that medical professionals constantly struggle with. The Nurse Practitioners Place shares some tips on how to keep patients comfortable as they share information with you.



That's it! Thanks so much for checking out Change of Shift: Doctor Anonymous style! Feel free to check out the rest of my blog. Make yourself at home. Also check out The Doctor Anonymous Show where we go "Beyond The Blog" to bring you the brightest stars in the medical blogosphere. Thanks Kim for the opportunity to host Change of Shift. The next edition of CoS will be December 13th over on Emergiblog. So, get those posts ready!

Listen LIVE tonight


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, November 29th, 2007 at 10:00pm Eastern Time

Join us tonight for Kerri Morrone who authors the award winning blog Six Until Me. I'm hoping the show will be "featured" again on the front page of the Blog Talk Radio website. We'll just have to see.

Also, this radio host and blogger was given some props by Alan Levy, the BlogTalkRadio CEO on a radio show last night. Don't believe me? Well, tune in to my show tonight and I'll play the sound clip for you. HA!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of my show site. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room. (If not, you will be designated as "guest")

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll be taking calls beginning at around the bottom of the hour. Hope these tips are helpful!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Kerri Morrone Interview


This week The Doctor Anonymous Show welcomes Kerri Morrone who authors the award winning blog Six Until Me. In my opinion, Kerri is one of the most popular bloggers in the diabetes blogosphere. Kerri, a type I diabetic, has reached out and touched so many people with diabetes and their families.

Join us on Thursday, November 29th at 10pm Eastern Time where we will talk about her blog, her life, and other things. She's planning a wedding for next year. That's got to be fun!

Yes, she's a Boston Red Sox fan - and as you probably know, they beat my Cleveland Indians on their way to a World Series victory. I was watching some of those games during my blogtalkradio shows. Finally, I think she has a thing for Larry Bird. If we have time, we'll have to go into that.

I've been having a string of shows where I have internet issues at the beginning of the show. Will that happen again? Will the chat room be working? Will a mutiny occur during the show? Will chaos ensue? Well, you'll just have to tune in to find out. Check back here Thursday for more details.

Grand Rounds


Grand Rounds 4.10 is now up and running at Prudence, MD: Medicine, General health care, and science. GR comes to us all the way from the Philippines this week. I wasn't able to submit anything but she still gave my blog a plug. Thanks so much for this!
This blog carnival of medical posts is already the 10th volume for the fourth year of Grand Rounds. I’ve been hanging around for a while, eversince I caught the GR bug at Doctor Anonymous’ blog. It’ll be my first time hosting this, thanks to Dr. Nicholas Genes of Blogborygmi. 
And I think the G.R. is a fine opportunity for me and for other bloggers, too, both medical and non-medical practitioners, to be able to learn more about the practice of medicine in other places (as I’m a general medicine practitioner here in the Philippines) and also other stories that are medically related that happen in other parts of the world, as well as locally. I’m glad that there’s a good turnout of posts for this week.
When I was on my blog break, I neglected to mention that Grand Rounds 4.09 was posted up at Mexico Medical Student. This was a great mix of links and music. I encourage you to check it out, if you haven't already.

My apologies to the past two hosts for not submitting anything. I was in my own little GR recovery period. Hopefully, I'll be submitting back to GR soon.

If you don't know what Grand Rounds is, it is a weekly compilation of the best posts from the medical blogosphere that moves to different sites each week. And, who doesn't like reading about medicine and science? Next week, Grand Rounds moves to Enoch Choi's Medhelp site.

The Cardiac Feud: DeBakey Vs. Cooley


I wouldn't call myself a history buff, but I enjoy reading about the past - especially about medicine. In today's New York Times, it tells the tale of what apparently was a huge feud in medicine - specifically cardiac medicine - for four decades. For me, the most controversial medical issue I remember learning about was the discovery of the AIDS virus and the two people who tried to get the credit for that.

But, this cardiac feud is one of the best historical stories that medicine has. Both these surgeons were pioneers in the area of cardiac surgery working in Houston. And, for 40 years, these two gentlemen spoke little to each other and couldn't even stand to be in the same room after "the incident." What happened? Here it is from the NYT:
The breach began in 1960, when Dr. Cooley left Dr. DeBakey’s practice at Methodist and moved the few hundred yards to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he later established the Texas Heart Institute. But it was an incident in 1969 that turned the rift into a full-blown feud.

It happened when Dr. Cooley, without approval from Dr. DeBakey or Baylor, commandeered an artificial heart from his former partner’s lab and implanted it in a patient at St. Luke’s.

Over the years, Dr. DeBakey has called that first-ever use of a total artificial heart a theft, a betrayal, unethical and “a childish act” to claim a medical first. Dr. Cooley defended the implant as a desperate, if ultimately unsuccessful, act to save a life.
What? Did I read that right? I mean, in today's medical world, I can't even imagine something like that happening - especially with all the double checks, paperwork, and bureaucracy that happens in today's operating rooms and hospitals. But, to think about it, I'm trying to think logistically how that happened, and it fascinates me.

I encourage you to read the entire NYT article. It really gives you a flavor of all the background that happened after "the incident" in 1969 and the decades that followed. Apparently, recently, they have reconciled. But, to be a doctor there in the 1960s. Definitely interesting to think about and dream about. A whole different world of medicine and a whole different world around us back then....

Monday, November 26, 2007

What's up with Sitemeter?


Every time I try to log into Sitemeter this morning, I get a message saying that my account is unavailable. Is anyone else having this problem? Does anyone know what's going on with sitemeter today? Maybe it's just my account? Yeesh!

Update (3:30pmET): After finally getting to load up the front page of Sitemeter, I found this announcement dated today:

Sometime during Thanksgiving day SiteMeter experienced some major internal system problems. At the moment it appears that access times to SiteMeter.com and all stats pages are extremely slow.

We are also aware that access to s21 accounts appears to be disabled. We are working as quickly as we can to try and find out what the problem is and to get everything back online and working normally. We apologize for the inconvenience. Sincerely, The SiteMeter Team

Doctor SWAT





I'm back from my blog break! Thanks to everyone who sent me all the supportive e-mails and comments. Nice to know I was missed, but, now, I'm back...

People may not believe that I'm old enough to remember this tv show from the 70s. But, you betcha I remember the TV show SWAT. The intro is above on a youtube clip. One of the most memorable tv themes - ever.

Apparently, now docs are being a part of these SWAT teams. How cool is that? In this AbcNews article, Dr. Alex Eastman's day job is a surgeon at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. But, in his spare time (hehe), he is part of the Dallas SWAT team (cue music). He wears a bulletproof vest and the whole thing.
Having a doctor along can mean the difference between life and death when a cop is shot. Police Lt. Carlton Marshall is living proof. Marshall was shot in the neck during a raid Oct. 17.

Within minutes of hearing "officer down!" Eastman and his partner, Dr. Jeff Metzger, went to work. Metzger held the officer's head while Eastmen performed an emergency tracheotomy, cutting a hole in the officer's neck to allow him to breathe.
Now, with the writers strike still going on in Hollywood and New York, here's an idea for a new television show. Watch Doctor SWAT on Thursday night right before The Doctor Anonymous Show. Dr. Eastman and Dr. Metzger play "good doc" and "bad doc" - Fighting crime and saving lives at the same time. Tune in Thursday night for Doctor SWAT (cue music).

Friday, November 23, 2007

Change of Shift here next week!


As I revealed on The Doctor Anonymous Show last week, I volunteered to be the host for the wildly popular nursing blog carnival named Change of Shift. What was I thinking? I guess I wanted to get all of my hosting duties all done in one month.

Actually, Kim has been asking me for the past year to be a host. So, I figured now was the time to step up and "take on the nurses" as she describes in a recent post. So, look out! Next week, CoS is coming here. How do you participate? Well, follow this link to Emergiblog for details.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Medscape Pre-Rounds Interview

Welcome to all of you who clicked on over from the Medscape site from my Pre-Rounds interview with Dr. Nick Genes! As of this posting, there have already been over 250 clicks over here (that's a lot for this little blog that could - hehe).

Welcome to my blog! I hope that you check out some of my other posts and my internet radio show. For those who haven't checked out my interview, I have copied it below. Enjoy!

"Dr. Anonymous" Survives Turbulent Year for Medbloggers

It's been a tumultuous year for "Dr. Anonymous." Since we last spoke to the mysterious but jovial figure behind the eponymous Web site, he has been featured in the national media but has also received hate mail and personal threats. For a while he thought about quitting his online activities, but he somehow pressed on with a new style and new technology to carry his thoughts. I caught up with him recently.

Dr. Genes: You prophesied last year that your writing would evolve -- more commentary on news, less about personal life and your opinions. Has it unfolded that way, and if so, why?

Dr. A: Hosting Grand Rounds has always found me at transition points. Last year, I was changing from blogging about patients to more news-oriented posts. Now, as we'll discuss more below, I find myself shifting again to incorporating more live Internet radio shows in addition to posts.

Blogging has really been a reflection of my life. Blogging about patients was a comfortable zone in which to write. Then, I wanted to push my writing skills a little bit to do commentary on current events. I guess now, I find it challenging and exhilarating to see what I can do with live Internet radio. Who knows what will happen a year from now? We'll see.

Dr. Genes: Where are you finding the material to comment on, and how do you decide what's blogworthy?

Dr. A: Even in high school, I was a news junkie. I like to know what's going on in the world around me. For blog posts, I hit the US and world health news headlines first and see if anything finds my fancy there. In the past few months, I've also been drawn to commenting about news that is more local to me: for example, a local high school student diagnosed with MRSA, a recent high school shooting incident, or even a tornado that occurred less than a mile from my office.

Dr. Genes: Are you concerned or frightened when other anonymous medbloggers get outed? Have you ever considered calling it quits or going public under a new guise?

Dr. A: On January 26, 2007, my blog was featured by a major news organization. This was the start of the best and the worst week ever in my blog life. The first couple of days were the best, with congratulatory comments and emails. Then the negative feedback and personal attacks started. Being the type of person that I am, I took the negative stuff too personally -- and really considered quitting blogging altogether. But, my blog friends really kept encouraging me to continue, and after days of thought, I did come back. That was definitely a long week for me.

As far as other medbloggers being outed, I was at a medical meeting in May, using the free Wi-Fi, reading blogs instead of paying attention to the lecture, when I learned that both Dr. Flea and Fat Doctor took their blogs down on the same day. That sent a huge ripple throughout the medical blogosphere. (Editor's note: Fat Doctor has resumed blogging.)

In the days that followed, there were reports of other medblogs being taken down, and some (including me) questioned the future of the medical blogosphere.

I started the I'm a Blogaholic group blog during this time. This was an opportunity for a few popular medbloggers who had to shut down their own blog to maintain contact with their readers until their new blog was up and running. I think it really fulfilled a need at that time -- if, for anything else, to give scared medbloggers a place to meet and vent about the current situation.

Dr. Genes: Last time we spoke, you were immersed in blogcasts. Now you've graduated to live blog talk radio with a chat room and dial-in participation. Can you explain the attraction? Isn't there enough interactivity and participation on blogs -- and perhaps more time for reflection, references, and nuanced thought?

Dr. A: Blogcasts are "prepackaged podcasts." I enjoyed them at first, but found myself frustrated with the entire editing process. I wanted to get the blogcast out to the listener as soon as I could -- and editing really slowed the process down.

I was immediately drawn to the live Internet radio show because it is real-time interaction with the blog reader -- better than any instant message or text conversation, or even a live chat room. For a live show there is also no audio editing involved, and the radio show site almost immediately puts it into a podcast format for listeners to download. Even with technical difficulties I have had during the show (and I've had a bunch), it's a different type of exhilaration I get doing a show live as opposed to writing a really good post. It's hard to explain.

Dr. Genes: What's next? Are you thinking about video?

Dr. A: I tried that during my best/worst week ever. I recorded and posted a video blog. But I eventually took that down -- basically out of fear of being outed at the time.

Dr. Genes: Yikes! Well, what about some new writing you're particularly pleased with?

Dr. A: Over the past few months, my best writing has been about ethical issues in medicine that hit the front pages of newspapers. These, by far, generated many more comments than other types of posts. I encourage readers to check out the following: The Ashley Treatment, Uterus Transplant, and The Baby Emlio Debate.

As for radio interviews, I've always wondered how a person's real voice would sound. I've read a person's blog for months, and in my mind, I have a "voice image" of what they sound like. It's been a lot of fun talking with them on Internet radio and seeing if my mental image of their blog voice matches with the real voice.

What's next? I'm going to further explore this talk show gig. I'm thinking about trying to assemble a colorful cast of characters to do a monthly or weekly analysis of health news that makes headlines in the mainstream press. Maybe I'll call the show "DA 360," or "The Dr. A Factor," or "The Weekly Show with Dr. A." Those names aren't taken, are they?

Dr. Genes: Ah, no. But readers are welcome to tune in when Dr. Anonymous hosts Grand Rounds on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. Dr. A will be organizing and presenting the week's best writing from the medical blogosphere -- from students, economists, nurses, researchers, and doctors (anonymous or not) -- on his site. As a bonus, he'll be introducing Grand Rounds live, over Internet radio, on Monday, November 12, 2007; you can download the archived version to listen to that broadcast. Check it out!

Nicholas Genes, MD, PhD, second-year resident in emergency medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
Medscape Med Students. 2007; ©2007 Medscape, Posted 11/13/2007

Happy Thanksgiving


I know it's not until tomorrow. But, I'll probably forget to post this tomorrow. So, there you go! Gobble, gobble! Have a great turkey day. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. Who's going shopping early on Friday? Not me. HA!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Blog Break

Following Grand Rounds, the vacation, and a run of radio shows, I admit that I'm feeling a little burned out. So, I'm going to take a few days off from the blog - if for anything else, to catch my breath. I'm on call this weekend. So, that should keep me busy. And Thanksgiving next week. And on, and on, and on. So, I won't be gone for long (heck, I may even post tomorrow if I'm for it). But, if not, just wanted to let you know. Be back soon.....

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Listen LIVE tonight


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, November 15st, 2007 at 10:00pm Eastern Time

Join us tonight for the very popular nurse blogger Kim from the Emergiblog: The Life and Times of and ER nurse. She's also known for the popular blog carnival known as Change of Shift. See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll be taking calls beginning at around the bottom of the hour. Hope these tips are helpful!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

The Emergiblog Interview



This week The Doctor Anonymous LIVE show welcomes Kim from Emergiblog: The Life and Times of an ER nurse. In my opinion, the most popular nurse blogger on the internet. She's also known for the popular nursing blog carnival called Change of Shift.

Join us on Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 10pm Eastern Time. We'll be talking about her blog, Change of Shift, and a lot more - like who is that guy in the picture above! You can also join us in the live chat room or even call into the show to ask Kim a question. The chat room worked for the last show. Let's hope it works again. You'll just have to tune in to find out. 

I also wanted to thank everyone for supporting Grand Rounds this week with your visits and links on your blog. The number of visits yesterday was about 400% more than I usually receive. Plus, the number of people listening to the show continues to increase every week. Get on the Doctor Anonymous Live train now! Tune in tomorrow....

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Grand Rounds - Volume 4 number 8


Greetings from Tuscon, Arizona which is only 2,000 miles from the comfy confines of home. Why did I come all the way out here just to host Grand Rounds. Well, not really, but I hope you like the pics (yes, that's really me).

These are the 43 best posts that the medical blogosphere has to offer this week. In my editors picks, I wanted to highlight well-written stories. There is also a short excerpt from each of my picks of the week.

Also, I invite you to check out my interview with the grand poobah himself - Nicholas Genes - on my internet radio show last week. Thanks Nick for being a guest on Doctor Anonymous Live and thanks for the opportunity to host Grand Rounds again.

You can also check out the Grand Rounds 4.08 Premiere Party on my show as well. Finally, don't forget to check out my Pre-Rounds interview on Medscape. Here we go!

Dr. A's Picks of the Week!

In Sickness And In Health tells a touching story about Paul and Mary and how their lives were touched by Alzheimer's Disease.
Paul and Mary were soul mates. They were best friends, lovers, and enjoyed each other’s company above all else. Even after fifty years of marriage, Paul always greeted his wife with a kiss when he returned home from the office. These days, however, his eyes watered a bit as they lingered on her mismatched outfit and the cracker crumbs clinging to her shirtfront. He watched her float from room to room in the house now vacated by their grown children as if seeking sanctuary from the enemies that were slowly stealing her memory.

Other Things Amanzi shares a surgical story that is uniquely South African.
she was massive. her bmi must have been hovering around the 50 mark. then she developed severe abdominal pain, complete obstipation and vomiting. as is common, she went to her local neighbourhood sangoma. he did what sangomas do. he made cuts over the area the patient reported to be the problem (her abdomen) and smeared his muthi (in this case, apparently cow dung) into the cuts. the idea, i think, is that the medicine can get to work directly where the problem is.

Borneo Breezes tells the tale of a medical student cholera workshop in Uganda. (Great pictures!)
As a result of their visit they learned that people in the fishing village were collecting drinking water from the Kazinga Channel frequented by hippos, water buffalo, elephants and a multitude of birds. Boiling was not regularly done because wood and money for fuel was in short supply. Oral rehydration packets in the health unit had all been used up. Juices were being made from unboiled water. Handwashing was not doing regularly and latrines were available in only one-third of the homes. So there were many possible sources for spread of cholera and much need of health education.

Vitum Medicinus, a med student in Canada, tells a story about being corrected by a patient during a physical exam.
Now that I'm in second year, that's something that I've been able to do, and be confident doing: if a patient presents to me in clinic with an ear/nose/throat issue, a heart or lung problem, a musculoskeletal problem, or an abdominal problem, I'm able to do a focused physical exam before the doctor comes in. "The doctor will come in and do an exam as well in a few minutes, but for now could you lay on your back and lift up your shirt so I can examine your abdomen please?"

A Float Floor RN describes a surprise that she really did not want to see.
He is very angry, pacing around his bed. I try to keep my eyes on his eyes. He is yelling about this and that and I am not quite following what exactly it is he is angry about. I am hearing about his dissatisfaction with the hospital food, he's run out of cigarettes, he can't get in touch with his baby momma, there aren't enough stations on the TV, ...you get the idea. I don't talk, I just listen thinking maybe he just needs to vent.

The rest of the medical blogsosphere's best posts this week!

Running A Hospital speaks for statistical transparency to improve patient care and enhance academic medical centers.

The Fitness Fixer shares a story from Afghanistan showing options for pain other than medication.

About A Nurse describes her encounter with the alcoholic patient.

In a poetic style, The D-Log Cabin writes what it means when diabetes and dreams mix.

Who knew suturing was cool? Who says? Well, the Surgeonsblog, of course.

Finally, a technology solution to the healthcare crisis, says Musings of a Distractible Mind.

Kolahun posts for the first time to Grand Rounds and talks about the frustration of health care workers in New Orleans.

Continuing with the New Orleans theme, Daily Interview shares a conversation with the supervisor of Katrina physician Dr. Pou.

Does excess body fat cause cancer? Junkfood Science analyzes the evidence.

Nurse Ratched's Place does a meta-analysis on 20 medical romance novels in the tongue-in-cheek study.

How To Cope With Pain discusses a proposal that the USA buy Afghanistan’s poppy crop and making morphine for the world's poor.

Experts are selling molehills as mountains, Med Journal Watch proclaims, when looking at the obesity/cancer connection.

Is a spinal tap required when evaluating dementia patients? The Clinical Cases Blog analyzes this question.

Dr. Wes explains Why Medical Errors Are Good For You.

Diabetes Mine tells the story of how a girlfriend has learned more about her boyfriend and his diabetes.

Counting Sheep describes a day in the life of taking care of a trauma patient.

Dinah from Shrink Rap tells us the basics of how to select a sleep medication.

Everything Health ask why the revenue of office based physicians is falling while insurance company profits are rising.

Dr. Val tells the story of a friend, a cancer survivor and patient advocate, who received poor treatment in the ER.

A Chronic Dose shares a colleague's dilemma when dealing with the rising cost of health care.

InsureBlog writes how unprofessional medical office managers can be sometimes.

Did you know Chicago is the most caffeinated city in the US? Disease Proof states why this is a bad thing.

Teen Health 411 explains why it's important for teens to receive a flu shot.

Healthline Connects has a solution to EMRs.

Highlight Health gives a good definition of influenza, who should get vaccinated, and why the flu vaccine works.

Marc Andreesen, a venture capitalist, recently gave $27 million to Stanford Hospital. PixelRN theorizes that it could be because he reads medical blogs.

The Diet Dish gives us tips on how to reduce our diabetes risk.

Eye on DNA makes a connection between breastfeeding, genetics, and IQ.

Birth control pills slightly increase risk of cervical cancer. TBTAM, a gynecologist, puts things in perspective.

Episcopal Hospital Chaplain analyzes ethical concerns of basing human studies on animal studies.

Health Business Blog describes a networking site.

Medicine For The Outdoors asks if wildfire conflagrations can be stopped.

Tech Medicine shares his thoughts on handwashing, MRSA, and C. Diff Colitis.

Science Roll lists applications relevant to medicine that can be placed on your Facebook page.

Fruit Of The Womb talks about endometriosis.

Six Until Me shares a personal story on how blood sugar numbers have such a way of planting that little, tiny seed of guilt.

During an ER visit, Rickety Contrivances of Doing Good reflects on the differences between violent movies and real life.

Freedom From Smoking asks why docs do not treat tobacco dependence.

That's It! Sheesh! Thanks to Nick Genes for giving me the opportunity to host Grand Rounds. It was a lot of fun to put together. I hope you have fun reading all these great posts. Next week, Grand Rounds travels south of the border to Mexico Medical Student.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Grand Rounds premieres tonight LIVE


The Red Carpet premiere of GR 4.08 will occur tonight on The Doctor Anonymous LIVE show beginning at 11:30pm eastern time (8:30pm pacific time). Don't forget that this is a black tie event. I will have bouncers at the door looking for the trouble makers. hehe

I hope the technology will work from this hotel. I have my trusty iBook G4 and a wireless connection from the hotel. Hopefully, here will not be too much trouble getting the show up and running tonight. But, that's the beauty of live radio, right? This will either be my best show ever, or my most embarrassing moment in the blogosphere. Either way, history will be made, and you will have to tune in.

As always, you can listen live, participate in the chat room, and/or call into the show. Will you be a first time listener? Well then, make sure to check out the first time BlogTalkRadio tips that I posted last week for Nick Genes' show. See you soon!

Update: I'm happy to say that Blog Talk Radio has chosen to feature tonight's show! This means that the show is placed on the front page for more visibility. How cool is that? No pressure, huh? We'll just have to see what happens later....

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Grand Rounds Deadline


I'm having a great time here in Arizona. The weather is perfect. I'll talk about this more on the Grand Rounds Premiere show which will be Monday at 11:30pm eastern time on my internet radio show. Hope your weekend is going well. The deadline for GR submissions will be 11:59pm eastern time, November 11th, 2007. Have you sent me your post yet?

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Countdown to Grand Rounds


Last year, when I hosted for the first time, I did a little research on how this whole thing got started. I posted it here last year. But, in case no one read that, I'll re-post the text here, because it is good reading....

Did you know that Grand Rounds was almost called things like "Carnival of the Caregivers," or, "Melee of the Medics," or, "Party of the Providers," or, "Hulabaloo of the Healers?" How different would things have turned out if one of those names were chosen?

Here are some other things I found:
August 6, 2004: Now, a certain fraction of medi-blog posts are too esoteric for the lay reader, but actually not that many. And that's part of the appeal: Each week authors would pick a post that general blog readers could understand and enjoy, and a rotating volunteer blogger would host the links. What gets linked would be at the host's discretion -- hopefully a nice mix of quality patient stories, science news, and policy points.

September 13, 2004:
If you're a medical blogger (which so many of you are), and if you're interested in reaching more nonmedical readers, listen to this: I've received a lot of positive feedback about the idea for "Grand Rounds" (Carnival of the Caregivers) -- a series of "best-of-the-week" posts from around the medical blogosphere, with rotating hosts.

September 28, 2004 (The First Grand Rounds):
Welcome to the debut of Grand Rounds, the weekly summary of the best of the medical blogosphere. It's our hope that this new feature will introduce a wider audience to the expanding array of talented doctors, nurses, techs and students writing online today. This week, we've got a roundup of new medical reports, opinions on current health topics, and a look into several medical specialties. Plus, some stories from caregivers to make you laugh, cry, or spur the contemplation of your mortality.

I'm off the Arizona for a long weekend. I'm going to try this Twitter thing while I'm out there. So, feel free to follow me on my Twitter site. Don't forget that the Grand Rounds Premiere show on my internet radio show is Monday night, November 12th, 2007 beginning at 11:30pm eastern time.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

LIVE tonight: Dr. Nick Genes


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, November 8th, 2007 at 10:00pm Eastern Time

Join us tonight for Nick Genes, MD, PhD. Nick is best known for Grand Rounds, Blogborygmi, and MedGadget. See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of my show site. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room. (If not, you will be designated as "guest")

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll be taking calls beginning at around the bottom of the hour. Hope these tips are helpful!

As far as GR 4.08, I have more than 20 submissions already. Again, a lot more at this point verses last year when I hosted. Keep those submissions coming in. Have you sent something to me yet? Why not? If you'd like more details on what I'm looking for, just click here and read on!!

Update: Thanks so much to Nick for being a great guest! Unfortunately, I had another technical glitch at the beginning of the show. But, not as bad as last week. The sound comes back at around 5 minutes into the show. The good news was that the chat room was working.

We started talking about his emergency medicine residency and how we started blogging. And, then the start of the Grand Rounds blog carnival. How does Nick find hosts for this blog carnival? He answers that question.

For the medical bloggers out there, he also shares his feelings about the idea of using themes during Grand Rounds. I talk about this as well. Later in the show, he share his thoughts about the number of posts per week is just about the right number.

Thanks so much to Dr. Val and MJRN for calling into the show. I'd also like to thank everyone in the chatroom - including the scan man himself tuning in all the way from India. Sorry the sound wasn't working, though. Hopefully, you'll be able to listen to the archives.

After the 60 minute mark, when the live feed was over, Nick and I talked about my upcoming Medscape interview with him. We really hyped it up - don't miss this Pre-rounds interview. It's going to be good.

We closed by talking about Medgadget, the Medgadget medblog awards which will be coming up in January, and advice for first time Grand Rounds hosts. We probably could have talked for another 30 minutes - but that's why I'm going to bring him back for another show. hehe

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

The Nicholas Genes Interview


This week The Doctor Anonymous Show welcomes Nicholas Genes, MD, PhD. He, of course, is best known for the Grand Rounds blog carnival. He is also known for his Blogborygmi blog and his association with Medgadget.

Join us on Thursday, November 8th, 2007 at 10pm Eastern Standard Time where we will be talking about this and a whole lot more. You can also join us in the live chat room or even call into the show to ask Nick a question. The chat room worked for the last show. Let's hope it works again. You'll just have to tune in to find out. Check here tomorrow for details.

By the way, I already have about a dozen submissions for Grand Rounds - just after day one! This is a lot more than at this point last year when I was hosting. Have you sent something to me yet? Why not? If you'd like more details on what I'm looking for, just click here and read on!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Dona Nobis Pacem


A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. 
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. 
-Margaret Mead

I know this post is early, but it's already November 7th in some parts of the world. I wanted to thank Mimi for all of your hard work in putting this together.

Listen to my interview with Mimi on Doctor Anonymous Live. You can also talk to Mimi on The Mo Show which will be on at 7pm eastern time on Wednesday. In addition, join Mimi in her Bloggingham Palace chat room. I'm looking forward to seeing all the globes today. Peace on Earth....


Grand Rounds 4.08 Announcements


Before I give you the posting guidelines/rules, I have a few of announcements. First of all, given the writers strike, I'm happy to report that Grand Rounds 4.08 will still go on as previously scheduled. Yay!

The one and only Dr. Nick Genes himself will be making an appearance on the Doctor Anonymous internet radio program on Thursday, November 8th, 2007 at 10pm Eastern Time.
 
Have you ever wanted to ask Nick a question before? Well, here is your chance. You can join us in the live chat room that happens during the show as well. Mark your calendars now! Check back here later in the week for more details.

Secondly, right before I officially post GR 4.08, there will be a special Grand Rounds Premiere Show on Doctor Anonymous Live. This will take place Monday, November 12th, 2007 beginning at 11:30pm eastern time.
 
I'll be talking about how it is to be a host for Grand Rounds. I'll also be talking about my vacation (I'll be in Arizona for the show). And, at the stroke of midnight eastern time, I will be posting GR 4.08 for all to see. Isn't that exciting? A live premiere will be a definite first in Grand Rounds history. 
In case you haven't read them in a while, you can read the general GR guidelines written by Nick himself - click here. As far as GR 4.08, there is no theme. However, I do enjoy reading good medical stories. I talked about that in my last year's post. Also, in order for me to keep things organized, I'd appreciate if you could make your submissions using the following format:

Post Name:
Post URL:
One line description:


The deadline will be 11:59 pm eastern standard time on Sunday, November 11th, 2007. I will be selecting what I think are the best five of the week and place them at the top of the post.

For the rest of the GR 4.08 post, I will be posting them in chronological order of when they appear in my e-mail box (presuming I think they are appropriate for GR). I hope this encourages you to send me your link early. The style will be similar to the Kevin, MD anniversary edition. Send all posts to doctoranonymousblog at gmail dot com. Please place "GR 4.08" in the subject line.

Election Day


I don't care what your political beliefs are. Just get out and vote today!

Grand Rounds


Grand Rounds 4.07 is now up and running at Counting Sheep: tales from the nurse anesthesia front, and some other yarns. The author is named Terry and she lives in Philadelphia.

According to the blog, here is how this week's theme is described: This coming week’s theme will be one that is near and dear to my heart as a nurse anesthetist . . . . . dealing with pain - patients, families, our own; physical, psychic, spiritual. Thanks for including my post this week:
Dr. Anonymous whets our appetite with a possible new treatment for pain using chili peppers.
If you don't know what Grand Rounds is, it is a weekly compilation of the best posts from the medical blogosphere that moves to different sites each week. And, who doesn't like reading about medicine and science? Next week, Grand Rounds is RIGHT HERE! I'll be posting some announcements soon. So, stay tuned!

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Weekend Update

I have to admit that my blogging has been a little sparse lately. Work was been tremendously busy for the past couple of weeks. Weekends have been devoted to catching up on sleep and doing what I need to do around the place (like laundry - are clean clothes at work important?).

I guess I have been devoting a little more free time to the internet radio show - which has been going very well (I think). This radio show thing is a lot of fun. I had no idea how much until I started doing it. I really appreciate all the people who have been listening in, sending e-mail, and leaving comments. Let's see how far I can take this....

I'm also very excited that I'm going to be hosting Grand Rounds in about 10 days. I remember from last year how busy this week is going to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to it. It's just that getting everything done this week is going to be tricky. That whole time management thing is going to be challenged.

Finally, at the end of this week, I'm going to be taking a little trip out west. It'll be great just getting out of town for a few days. I'll be going to Arizona - beautiful country out there. I do have a meeting to attend, but I'm definitely looking forward to the time off (even if it's only a few days). Needed time to recharge. Today is the calm before the storm....

Mimi's Peace Globe Party


Blogblast for Peace is Wednesday. Do you have your globe yet? No? Well, then, click here....
There will be a live chat party today over at Mimi's Place. See above for details....

Thursday, November 01, 2007

LIVE tonight: Dr. Val on Dr. A show


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, November 1st, 2007 at 10:00pm Eastern Time

Join us tonight for Val Jones MD. She writes the Dr. Val and the Voice of Reason blog. There is a little bit more detailed post below, or just click here

I'm really hoping that my BlogTalkRadio chat room will be working tonight. I've been listening to other shows this week, and it seems to be working for them. The chat room is really "the show within the show!" See you tonight!

Update: Thanks so much to the Clinical Cases and Images blog for mentioning the show in their post today. I had no idea they have 1,354 readers according to feedburner. Yeesh! I'm definitely jealous of that. Thanks again for the plug today.

Update2: Thanks to Dr. Val for being on the show tonight. The show started off with my internet connection cutting out. So, there's about 2 minutes of silence close to the start of the show. But, the chat room was working (for once) - and people stayed with me there.

I was able to get everything back at about 4 minutes into the show - so start listening there for the Dr. Val interview. The chat room was great! More than a dozen people in there before my connection went out.

I admit I was a little flustered for the entire show. But, this is live radio and the show must go on. So, if you didn't listen live to the fun, you must listen to the archives - or even download the show for your enjoyment. Just check out the Doctor Anonymous Live site. Have a great weekend!