SEASON 3 · EPISODE 01
More than just a pinch
Susan Burton highlights how pain in reproductive health has been minimized and we reflect on how we can better address pain for patients undergoing common office procedures.
The podcast series The Retrievals was incredible and if haven’t listened yet, it’s clear to see why it won a Peabody award and was #1 on Apple Podcasts. Susan Burton is an experienced producer and journalist and walks us through what she learned through her reporting. We talk about the problem of inadequately treating pain and what could be done to improve the patient experience.
THE GASLIGHTING
When we listened to the first season of The Retrievals we were captivated by the story and also reflective of how we were taught to address pain for office procedures through our residency training. Our conversation with Susan covered her investigative reporting of the scandal at Yale, where patients were not given the appropriate medications during IVF retrievals. We also discussed the 2nd season where she covered cesarean section pain and how a significant number of patients have inadequate pain control. She heard from many patients about their experiences and learned what a widespread problem this is.
“…but there was this other layer that was really profound, the way that women's pain is treated and addressed and including by by patients themselves.”
As health care providers who guide people through painful procedures, the lessons that Susan learned also apply to another commonly discussed painful procedure: IUD insertions. We have been hearing stories from patients who had extremely painful insertions - many sharing their experiences widely on social media. Read more about a study performed here at Duke examining what people shared about IUD insertion experiences on social media.
One interesting part of this episode was the discussion about how patients may fear communicating about their pain with the clinician caring for them, perhaps for fear of offending them or being perceived as a bad patient. We discussed how clinicians can invite conversation about the patient experience in the moment.
Next week’s episode featuring Dr. Ghazeleh Moayedi, will be your go-to guide for understanding the evidence about having the least pain with an IUD insertion. If you or someone you love is thinking about getting an IUD, this episode should not be missed!
WHAT WE'RE READING/LISTENING TO/WATCHING
New Sylvan Esso Album - Ow - just released today!
The true, true story of Raja the Gullible (and his mother) — I’m completely sucked in to this story! Have you read it? Let us know what you think. What an amazing storyteller.
New Gillian Anderson Interview on Wild Card — High priority on my weekend listening list!
TV: The new Ted Lasso, of course, but also the very scary and excellent show Widow’s Bay.
ONE THING TO DO
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Talk soon,
Bev & Jonas
Outlawed is hosted by Dr. Beverly Gray and Dr. Jonas Swartz. New episodes weekly. Reply to this email — we read everything.
