July 21, 2024

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Editor, First Opinion

My mind wandered to hierarchies in medicine the other day — it needed to go somewhere, since I didn't want to focus on the vibrating saw slicing open the cast protecting my broken wrist. Doctors are viewed as being at the top, but really should be in the middle, with other health care workers. The orthopedic technician who removed my cast and replaced it with another one was kind, caring, and meticulous about his work. The X-ray technician who wanted to place my wrist in a certain way saw that the position hurt, and created a workaround. The physician assistant I've been working with couldn't have been more thorough in her evaluation, treatment plan, and follow-up. The assistant who took my phone call the day before because the cast was becoming unusually painful scrambled to fit me into an already busy schedule. Health care is an "it takes a village" ecosystem. It's a shame that most of the workers who make lives better don't get the recognition — financial and otherwise — they deserve.

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This week's First Opinion authors covered a dicey diagnosis for long Covid, explored why philanthropists aren't making the same kinds of large gifts to nursing schools at they are to medical schools, challenged the proposed Risky Research Review Act, and more. If you are a podcast listener, check out this week's episode on acknowledging vaccine injury.

Nurses performing neurological observations with a patient in Sydney during the pandemic.

Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Functional neurological disorder is not an appropriate diagnosis for people with long Covid

Some say the existing diagnosis of functional neurological disorder offers a good explanation for long Covid. It doesn't.

By David Tuller, Mady Hornig, and David Putrino

Why aren't philanthropists stepping up to support nursing education?

Philanthropists like Michael Bloomberg have donated billions to support medical students. Why not help nursing schools, too?

By Tracy R. Vitale and Caroline Dorsen

The 'Risky Research Review Act' would do more harm than good

Sen. Rand Paul's "Risky Research Review Act" threatens to cast a shadow over the future of life sciences research and slow it down.

By David Gillum, Rebecca Moritz, and Gregory D. Koblentz

Listen: Empathy should be the first response to people with vaccine injury, fears

Instead of dismissing people who feel they have been harmed by vaccines, doctors need to listen to their concerns and respond with empathy.

By Patrick Skerrett

OB-GYN board certification shouldn't require traveling to Texas, a state hostile to abortion and abortion providers

Obstetrics and gynecology board certification requires an in-person trip to Texas, where strict abortion laws raise risks for these doctors.

By Madeline Cohen, Sarah O'Connor, and Nicole Huberfeld

IRBs fail to assess trials' scientific merit, putting participants at risk

Institutional review boards (IRBs) need to assess trials' scientific merit to protect volunteers from low-quality research.

By Spencer Phillips Hey and Michael S. Wilkes

Jenny Kane/AP

Real-time vital signs data: a hidden source of value in medical AI

Using AI to monitor and analyze vital signs in real time could yield fundamental advancements in patient care and medical research.

By Julio La Torre

Supreme Court's nondecision jeopardizes emergency abortion care

First Opinion: Medically necessary abortion care should not be considered any less essential than other protected emergency care.

By Mark N. Simon

To overcome the overdose crisis, addiction treatment must be integrated into the health care system

The same integrated approach used for people with chronic conditions must become the standard for people with substance use disorders.

By Sarah E. Wakeman

NIAID via AP

Addressing the dual epidemics of hepatitis C and opioid use

Most new hepatitis C infections occur in people who inject drugs, making opioid addiction treatment centers a strategic place to provide hep C treatment.

By Sara Lorenz Taki and Lipi Roy

Medicare drug pricing rules will delay access to promising therapies

Expert cites the history of tofacitinib (Xeljanz) as an example of an innovative treatment that could now be stifled under new Medicare drug pricing rules.