Physician Health

The AMA’s top 10 must-read news stories of the year

. 4 MIN READ
By
Kevin B. O'Reilly , Senior News Editor

Which news articles catch the eyes of ever-busy physicians, residents, fellows and medical students to click and learn more? To judge by the AMA’s 10 most-read news articles of this year, the answer is that these stories offer timely and effective insight into the trends in practice and training that shape lives in contemporary medicine.

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  1. Physician burnout: Which medical specialties feel the most stress

    1. An online survey of doctors finds an overall physician burnout rate of 44%, with 15% saying they experienced colloquial or clinical forms of depression. Two new entries in the top six specialties with the highest rates of burnout compared with last year’s edition of the survey provide medical students and residents with new insight into their future careers.

  2. DO vs. MD: How much does the medical school degree type matter?

    1. As you ponder medical school, you may be wondering, “What is the difference between an MD and a DO?” In the U.S. there are two types of degrees in which physicians can practice medicine: MDs, a doctor of medicine, or a DO, a doctor of osteopathic medicine. Learn what sets them apart and what they share.

  3. These medical specialties have the biggest gender imbalances

    1. Gender has proven to be a factor related to which medical specialties residents pursue following their graduation from medical school. Recent data offers some insight on which medical specialties are most popular among male and female physicians entering residency.

  4. Inside the numbers behind the record-setting 2019 Match

    1. Match Day is a life-defining event for thousands of medical students. The 2019 Main Residency Match was larger than any that preceded it. Dig more into the numbers behind this year’s Match to glean insights heading into 2020.

  5. Judge says AMA is right: Title X gag rule violates medical ethics

    1. The AMA scored an early victory in a case that is still making its way through the courts when U.S. District Judge Michael McShane in Portland, Oregon, wrote, “This is madness,” in a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration’s Title X regulations. The rules include a gag rule dictating what physicians must and must not say to their patients in the Title X program about family planning. (The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Sept. 23 in the latest step in the case.)

  6. Do your patients believe these 7 myths about salt?

    1. Americans have acquired a taste for a high salt diet due to eating processed foods, with adults consuming more than 3,400 mg of sodium per day—more than the 2,300 mg limit recommended by the American Heart Association. The recommended limit lowers based on age, race or ethnicity, or existing high blood pressure. To help patients lower the amount of salt they are consuming, physicians and their teams need to dispel these seven common myths related to sodium intake.

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  7. Why doctors marry doctors: Exploring medical marriages

    1. About 40% of physicians are likely to marry another physician or health professional, according to a survey of nearly 5,000 doctors. And with about half of physicians reporting at least one symptom of burnout, that means many dual physician households have a heightened risk that one or both will experience burnout. Learn more about the benefits, and burdens, of medical marriages.

  8. What if you don’t match? 3 things you should do

    1. Those who get the unfortunate news that they did not match and who are then unsuccessful in obtaining a position through SOAP, the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, might wonder what their options are for keeping their dreams of a career as a practicing physician alive. A physician who has worked with unmatched applicants explains how to make the most of the year ahead and improve the odds of matching the next time around.

  9. Ditch the “stupid stuff” that drives doctors crazy

    1. Have you ever performed a daily task and wondered, “Why do I even bother to do this?” You are not alone. Increasing administrative tasks for physicians means they have less time to focus on what is important, such as interacting with patients and delivering care. One health system in Hawaii is tackling physician administrative burdens by eliminating “stupid stuff” to free up time for doctors and other health professionals.

  10. 3 smartphone medical apps every physician should have

    1. Physicians are constantly on the lookout for technological solutions that give them the right information at the right time. Smartphone medical apps can be one solution. But with more than 318,000 available health-related mobile applications, according to a report from the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science—and new ones being released daily—it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.

    2. Learn more about three medical apps that every physician should have on his or her smartphone.

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