Intention to Treat
From the New England Journal of Medicine, welcome to “Intention to Treat,” a podcast exploring the most complicated, perplexing, and fascinating issues facing medicine today. From groundbreaking research, to clinical advances, to personal stories from doctors and their patients, we give you a behind-the-scenes look at discoveries that are changing medical practice and provide you with the knowledge to thrive on the front lines of health care.
Episodes
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
Brain Injury and Consciousness
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024
New research using functional brain imaging reveals that many patients considered to be in a coma or vegetative state and who are unresponsive may actually be conscious and aware.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2408662.
Wednesday Sep 11, 2024
What Exactly Is Long Covid?
Wednesday Sep 11, 2024
Wednesday Sep 11, 2024
The millions of people worldwide who are suffering from a vast array of disabling symptoms long after being infected with SARS-CoV-2 may eventually benefit from a new consensus definition of long Covid.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2407614.
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
Restoring Lost Speech
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
In recent years, substantial progress has been made in developing brain-computer interfaces that could restore the ability of patients with neurodegenerative diseases and other conditions to communicate.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2407613.
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Race-Based Diagnosis, Part 3
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
As race-based diagnostic tools, such as pulse oximeters that function poorly on darker skin, continue to lead to inequitable care, a growing movement is working to weed them out of U.S. health care.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2407611.
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Race-Based Diagnosis, Part 2
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
A key measure of kidney function and a risk calculator for vaginal birth after cesarean delivery are among the many tools that have long contributed to health and health care inequities for Black patients.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2405797.
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Race-Based Diagnosis, Part 1
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Wednesday Jul 03, 2024
Claims that Black people had lower lung capacity than White people led to race-adjusted spirometry and poorer care for Black patients with lung disease. New equations are starting to change that.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2405796.
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Are We Prepared for Bird Flu?
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
Wednesday Jun 19, 2024
A new strain of H5N1 influenza is spreading in dairy cows in the United States. Will it cause an epidemic in humans? And what does our public health system need to do in order to be ready if it does?
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2405795.
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Treating Obesity in Kids
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
Wednesday Jun 05, 2024
In the face of a growing childhood obesity epidemic, some parents and clinicians are turning to new tools such as GLP-1 receptor agonists. This episode explores the implications of that trend.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2400703.
Wednesday May 15, 2024
New Hope for a Common and Deadly Heart Condition
Wednesday May 15, 2024
Wednesday May 15, 2024
This episode considers a new treatment for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the world’s most common inherited heart condition, which most affected people don’t even realize they have.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2400702.
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
CAR T-Cells and Safety Signals
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
Wednesday Apr 24, 2024
This episode examines CAR T-cell therapy’s early successes, broader promise, and emerging risks, as the FDA considers reports of occasional secondary cancers.
A full transcript of this episode is available at nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2400701.
About the Host
Rachel Gotbaum, the host and producer of the NEJM podcast “Intention to Treat,” is an award-winning health care journalist with more than two decades of experience reporting and hosting audio documentaries, narrative features, breaking news, and podcasts. Rachel has worked as an editor, reporter, and producer on several national radio programs, including NPR’s “All Things Considered,” “Weekend Edition,” and “Here and Now.” Her stories have aired on NPR, “Marketplace,” CBC Radio, and PRX’s “The World” and have been published by the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Kaiser Health News. She has frequently focused on the culture of medicine and its effects on all aspects of health care, from policy to patient outcomes.