Welcome. I'm Dr. Vinay Prasad. I'm a hematologist, oncologist, and I'm associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. In my professional life, I see patients, I teach trainees, and I do research in health care policy. This is plenary session. Plenary session is a

podcast at the intersection of medicine, oncology, and health policy, and you're listening to

season three. On this week's episode, I just have a few random thoughts for you. We'll call this

the random thoughts episode.

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So, tis the holiday season.

It's around the new years.

We're just on the eve of it.

And I have been

here and there, out and about, but also in the online world. And I've seen what people are saying.

And I'm routinely shocked. Shocked at what people are saying. I saw a doctor say something like

yet another reminder not to meet your family and yet a reminder to wear masks is you should know that if you don't, if your loved one dies in the intensive care unit, you're going to have to say goodbye via this whiteboard or this iPad.

And they show some grotesque, grotesque communication device.

And I thought to myself, that is a horrible thing to say for medical professional to say that.

Many hospitals have created this policy, of course, which I've talked about on some other shows

and in a video online with ZDog about visitation policies around SARS-CoV-2.

And what might have been understandable in March when there were times of PPE shortage

has extended all the way to the present moment where many patients are not allowed visitors.

...