Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng on Avoiding the ICU and Racism in Medicine PH 168

As you learn more, and more, and more about disease, prevention is the key.  Why get sick in the first place? Don’t get sick!  Why are we going to wait until you’re end-stage or sick as a dog before we try and provide you with help?  No.  Let’s be smarter with our minds, resources and approaches.  It just doesn’t make sense when you think about it, really.  A lot of times we’re just putting Band-Aids on [things].  Let’s get to the root cause and, really, stop you from entering the door.”
- Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng

Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng is a palliative care & intensive care doctor based in Ottawa, Canada.  As a physician treating critically ill patients, he brings an enthusiasm and passion to the idea of keeping patients out of the hospital in the first place by using lifestyle to prevent disease.

On his podcast, Solving Healthcare, Dr. Kyeremanteng features interviews and discussions on the topic of improving healthcare delivery.  He is also the founder of the Resource Optimization Network, a multidisciplinary research group working to reduce health spending, make the ICU more efficient, and improve access to palliative care services.

Dr. Kyeremanteng was one of only two Black students in his medical school class, and as one of the few Black doctors practicing in his hospital today, he is keenly aware of the demographic imbalance in medicine and the resulting challenges Black individuals must overcome to have the same opportunities as their peers.  He’s recently launched a healthcare mentorship program to help Black students bridge this gap.

Dr. Kyermanteng’s role in the ICU has put him at the forefront of caring for acutely ill COVID-19 patients, and his experience as a palliative doctor gives him a unique perspective on the challenges facing these patients and their families.

I was excited to hear from Dr. Kyeremanteng on all of these hot topics, and more.  We covered a lot of ground in the conversation, from how intensive care medicine and palliative care medicine go hand-in-hand, to the lessons he’s learned from spending time with patients near the end of their lives, to what actions we can start taking now to be anti-racist.

*Photo courtesy of Michelle Dickie

In this episode we discuss:

• His background and how he came to practice medicine
• Why he chose to specialize in both intensive care and palliative medicine
• The overlay between palliative medicine and ICU care
• The difference between ICU care, palliative care, and hospice care
• Lessons Dr. Kyeremanteng has learned from spending time with patients at the end of their lives
• How he developed his passion for disease prevention
• Observations Dr. Kyeremantang has had caring for acute patients during COVID
• Patterns he’s noticed in patients who thrive after leaving the ICU
• Ways Dr. Kyeremanteng helps patients nurture a positive mindset
• His experiences with racism both as a child and in medicine
• Dr. Kyeremanteng’s youth mentorship program
• Lessons he hopes to instill in his three sons
• The advice he would give to people to live their life to their fullest
• Dr. Kyeremanteng’s advice to people concerned about COVID-19
• Actions he would love to see his white colleagues take to fight racism
• Three things Dr. Kyeremanteng does on a regular basis that have the biggest positive impact on his health
• One thing he struggles to implement that could have a big impact on his health
• What a healthy life looks like to Dr. Kyeremanteng

You can follow Dr. Kyeremanteng on his website, Solving Healthcare, his podcast, and on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Links:

• Palliative care: Earlier is better
• Systemic Racism, How to Create Change and More with Dr. Chika Oriuwa
• Easy Strength with Dan John
• The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss
• The 80/20 Principle, Richard Koch

Related episodes:

Ep 147 – Cancer, Racism, and Speaking Up with Deb Cordner Carson

Ep 149 – The Science of Spontaneous Healing with Dr. Jeffrey Rediger

Ep 164 – Boosting Immunity and Reducing COVID Risk with Dr. Aseem Malhotra

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every other Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice. We recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

This post was originally published on November 3, 2020.