National Doctor's Day: Tackling Physician Burnout Amidst Avian Flu, AI Concerns, and Marijuana Dispensary Placement

March 30 was National Doctor’s Day, a day to honor the dedication, skill, and unwavering commitment of the physicians who provide high-quality healthcare to individuals and communities around the globe. 

Obviously, this day is an incredibly important one for those of us at ABIG Health, especially now, when more than 90 percent of doctors report being burned out. 

Dr. Adam Brown has been speaking with a lot of groups recently about how to address the physician mental health crisis, and we have summarized his advice in this blog post. Bottom line: it is far past time that hospitals, practices, and other healthcare employers start taking care of their own by investing in mental health support for our country’s doctors. (Interested in learning more? Listen to this podcast from Ingenovis Healthcare with Dr. Brown and then check out the CDC’s free resource on improving health worker well-being.) 

Now, on to the top stories from the last two weeks. Click through to read our thoughts on AI liability, avian flu in Texas, and an issue that our home city of Washington, D.C. is dealing with: what are the appropriate zoning laws for marijuana dispensaries. 

Avian flu in Texas: are we prepared for the next pandemic?

Health officials in Texas have confirmed what is only the second case ever of H5N1 avian flu in a human in the United States. The patient contracted the virus after coming into contact with cattle that were infected. While, according to STAT News, the patient’s symptoms are mild and being treated with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) two other states — Kansas and Michigan — have reported recent H5N1 outbreaks in cattle. New Mexico is investigating possible cases there. 

As this story began to develop, the White House released a fact sheet outlining how the Biden-Harris administration is preparing the country for the next pandemic. “Detecting infectious disease threats quickly, and sharing that information widely, is critical to limit global transmission, and to rapidly develop necessary diagnostics, vaccines, treatments, personal protective equipment, and other countermeasures,” The fact sheet noted. “Once available, facilitating equitable domestic and global access to medical countermeasures, like vaccines, tests and treatments, is the best way to minimize global morbidity and mortality, as well as to reduce economic and other disruptions.”

All good, but in recent weeks, experts from across the spectrum — the right-leaning Manhattan Institute to the Common Health Coalition — have said the United States is not prepared.  

Our BIG Question: What are the top three steps the federal government needs to take now to better prepare the country for the next pandemic? How can the private sector support these efforts or, better yet, how can we lead? 

Who is responsible if AI gets it wrong?

The International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) meets this week in Washington, D.C. The IMDRF, whose members include the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and the United States with the World Health Organization as an official observer, is developing guidance documents on how countries can regulate new technologies like artificial intelligence.

We need more of this, because … it was only a matter of time. According to Politico, healthcare partitioners already are getting sued for using artificial intelligence (AI) to help treat patients. Trial lawyers are tapping into the trend. Here is what one law firm advises patients on its website: “If you believe you suffered harm due to the use of artificial intelligence in a treatment setting, you may be able to pursue medical malpractice claims … The knowledgeable Baltimore medical malpractice attorneys of Arfaa Law Group are dedicated to helping victims of negligent healthcare providers seek justice for their harm, and if you retain us, we will fight to help you seek the results you deserve.”

The threat of getting sued is hindering adoption of AI. A paper published earlier this year by two Johns Hopkins University researchers found physicians are mostly using AI in the most in “low uncertainty” cases, or “when they are pretty sure of a prospective treatment plan but avoid using it in higher-uncertainty cases.” That caution hinders innovation and could keep doctors from providing better care.

Our BIG Thought: Many physicians and nurses believe AI could help them do their jobs better. But with liability and malpractice a constant concern for practitioners, technology providers must work hard to establish trust within the industry … and Congress does need to help address questions of liability. 

Marijuana should be legal, but should dispensaries be built near schools?

As healthcare experts, we know access to medical marijuana can help patients manage the side effects of treatment. At the same time, we worry about how widespread access to the drug will affect use among young adults, teenagers, and, yes, young children. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has articulated the significant impact cannabis has on young brains, noting the potential for cannabis use to impair thinking, memory, physical coordination, and academic performance, alongside increasing risks of mental health issues, addiction, and physical injury. 

In ABIG Health’s home city of Washington, D.C., the city council is about to vote on a bill that would take effect immediately and prohibit medical cannabis retailers from operating near schools. Existing law allows retailers to operate within 300 feet of schools if that school is in a commercial zone.
Our BIG Thought: The D.C. City Council should approve this bill. Reports  from Canada and Colorado have indicated that, as communities have increased non-medical cannabis use, emergency department and hospitalizations associated with hyperemesis (vomiting) and psychosis have increased significantly. These experiences underscore the immediate dangers these substances pose to children and beg questions about the long-term effects of cannabis on developing humans.

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