Second Opinion - Season 5

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been an ongoing major public health issue for some time. In 2019, antimicrobial resistance was the leading cause of death worldwide, surpassing even HIV and malaria in mortality according to a study published in the Lancet in January. When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, many public health issues such as antimicrobial resistance took a back seat. In fact, antibiotic prescribing increased during this time as providers scrambled to care for patients. Now as COVID-19 cases continue to show a downward trend, antimicrobial resistance has become a significant priority again, and more of an emphasis is being placed on antibiotic prescribing practices. Anthony McDonnell and Dr. Javier Guzman discuss the findings of the study and the effects COVID-19 may have had in the prescribing practices.

Dr. Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, leads a discussion with Dr. Kristen Ciombor, MD, MSCI, and Dr. John Strickler, MD, on targeted therapies and the molecular treatment landscape for colorectal cancer. The medical oncologists detail the COLOMATE and GOZILA platforms, sequencing, and resistance to targeted therapies, among other topics.

Eric Segal, MD and Jurriaan Peters, MD, PhD join Second Opinion to go over a case study involving a child with strange spells.

As social media continues to play a key role in how practices operate, is traditional marketing no longer necessary? Steve Dale and Bill Schroeder tackle the benefits and disadvantages of both while exploring how both can be used to reach as many clients as possible.

In this Second Opinion segment, Ehsan Sadri, MD, and William Trattler, MD, share a lively discussion on the advancements that continue to emerge in eye care amid a pandemic. They touch upon the uptick in patient volume and the developing or available treatments for unmet needs, including pharmacologic therapy for presbyopia. Recent innovations from manufacturers are also enhancing the workflow and experience for cataract and refractive surgeons and their patients.

Sandip Patel, MD and Narjust Duma, MD discuss a case scenario of a 45-year-old Hispanic female with lung adenocarcinoma.

Jonathan Ogurchak, PharmD, CSP, sat down with Natasha Khrystolubova, BPharm, BCOP, to discuss the need for a better structure for medical data and ways that this data can be linked throughout the continuum of care. In the discussion, Ogurchak and Khrysolubova discussed questions around HIPAA compliance, accessibility, ethics, and privacy. They agreed that there is a massive amount of patient data thanks to trackers and wearable devices, but allowing all of those data sources to align with the health care system is a major priority to improve patient care.

Dr. Lauren Natbony and Dr. Deena Kuruvilla join Second Opinion to offer a look ahead into heachache medicine in 2022, including what things look like currently, what still needs to be addressed, and what's to come in the future.

Now that we have entered our third year of the pandemic, what does life look like going forward? Will COVID-19 be just another virus, alongside influenza and RSV? Will mask-wearing in doctors offices be the new standard, even as we shift out of the pandemic? What about future treatments? Dr. Andrew Schuman, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and Dr. Russell Libby, founder and president of the Virginia Pediatric Group in Fairfax, Virginia and an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia and George Washington University School of medicine, discuss these questions and more, in terms of treating their pediatric patients and talking to their families.