Best Practices: Bryce Austell
The Chicago-based anesthesiologist and interventional pain management specialist on leveraging the power of social media and fighting the battle against misinformation online.
As an anesthesiologist and interventional pain management specialist, Dr. Bryce Austell knows how important the work is that often goes unnoticed. Oftentimes, the bulk of his work begins long before the patient falls asleep — using his knowledge and expertise to keep patients steady and without pain in operating rooms, delivery rooms, and intensive care rooms. What’s more, Dr. Austell is also involved in the emergent field of interventional pain management, where he leverages cutting-edge science and tools to treat the root cause of patients’ pain, rather than medicating them with highly addictive opioids.
Read on to learn about how he got started in anesthesiology, his passion for interventional pain management, and what he’s learned from building a presence online.
How did you get started in medicine and what inspired you to choose your specialty?
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and did my undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois, where I studied mechanical engineering. After a couple of internships, I decided that I wanted to apply my aptitude for math and science toward helping others and having more interactions with people on a daily basis. When I realized that I wanted to go into medicine, I applied to medical schools all over the country, but as luck would have it, I stayed close by and went to Rush University Medical Center right here in Chicago.
I enjoyed all of my rotations in medical school, especially my surgical rotations. I loved the fast-paced nature of anesthesiology and being able to use those skills throughout the hospital.
As an anesthesiologist, I work in emergency rooms, operating rooms, and delivery rooms, ICU units, and in-clinic. I treat all kinds of patients including older adults, pregnant women, and even children. It’s a fun and well-rounded specialty that has suited me well — it’s also an incredibly unique field in that most of the work we do is not readily visible to our patients.
Can you tell us more about this “invisible” aspect of anesthesiology?
Obviously, when your job involves putting people to sleep, they don’t know what happens behind the scenes. A lot of people think that after they get the medication and fall asleep the anesthesiologist’s work stops there. But that’s not the case. It’s a complicated and varying process and there can be very intense moments when the human dynamic changes while the patient is asleep, including cardiac cases and resuscitation trauma.
There’s a lot that physiologically occurs while patients are asleep — a lot of nuance that takes many years to learn. And because we go all over the hospital, we have to be a sort of jack of all trades, which I love.
What can you tell us about your subspecialty in interventional pain management?
I’m currently doing a fellowship at Northwestern in interventional pain management, another area of medicine that has attracted me over the last few years.
Interventional pain management has become increasingly important in the battle against the opioid epidemic. Until recently, most patients were blanketly prescribed opioids to mask their pain, rather than being treated for the root cause of their pain. That’s where interventional pain management is trying to change things.
In addition to multidisciplinary treatments and therapies, we provide interventions like peripheral joint and nerve injections, spinal epidural and facet injections, minimally invasive surgeries, sympathetic system blocks, radiofrequency ablations, regenerative medicine, or nerve stimulation relations peripheral nerve stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, spinal cord stimulation, intrathecal drug delivery systems, and minimally invasive surgeries that can treat the root causes of a patient’s pain. It’s a new, constantly evolving field that I believe will bring millions of people much-needed relief and satisfaction.
Let’s talk about social media: In what ways do you leverage the power of your platform to build your community and spread health information?
I think social media is a really powerful and fun tool. It’s a nice way to share the highlights of my career and connect with others in medicine, specifically those in anesthesiology and interventional pain management.
I also use my platform to share ideas and information that reach many different communities throughout the country — and the world. I often get messages from high school and college students who are hoping to go into medicine and ask questions about medical school and how to decide which specialty to go into. So there’s a lot of mentoring that goes into my social media practice, too.
What have been the biggest benefits and pitfalls of using your platform as a means to distribute accurate information in the era of Covid and misinformation?
One of the biggest benefits of using social media as a means to distribute information is access: all you need is a smartphone and reliable internet and you can read, learn, and share valuable information. For example, you can listen to lectures at the gym, rather than having to go to a lecture hall or fly across the country for a specific course. Social media has broken down a lot of these preexisting barriers when it comes to access to information.
Of course, there are some serious downfalls, too. We’re living in an era of misinformation, and we’re realizing that many people don’t have the tools or resources to distinguish between accurate and false information online.
What advice would you give to someone who’s learning how to distinguish between false and accurate information online?
When it comes to fielding accurate health and medical information, BE VIGILANT with your sourcing. Is the person who’s sharing information online a medical professional? If not, it probably can’t be trusted. And when all else fails, make the CDC your go-to resource for accurate information. If you read a post that makes substantial claims, follow up with the CDC to see whether or not they’re legitimate.
Vital Signs
Where’s your favorite place to unwind? Either the gym or Lake Michigan.
What are some effective strategies, supplements, or foods for battling SAD? Winter is tough, especially during Covid, and especially if you’re in a big city with small living quarters. If you’re battling SAD, try to focus on the activities that help you de-stress and do at least one of them every week. Potential de-stressing activities could include exercise, eating healthily, watching TV, or socializing with friends — either virtually or socially distanced, for now. And if you can find a way to get a little bit of sun each day, that will help immensely.
Do you have any go-to tips for naturally boosting the immune system? Honestly, a lot of the same strategies for battling SAD will help boost your immune system, too: Eating nutritionally dense foods, exercising, relaxing with TV or a good book, and safe socializing. I’m also a big fan of eating foods that are rich in vitamin C, like pomegranates and oranges. Pomegranates are a tasty superfood with powerful antioxidants, too.
What’s one healthful habit you’d love to see patients adopt? Exercise! Regular exercise is so important for our mood, focus, energy, weight control, and overall health. People tend to focus on cardio, but I think it’s especially important to incorporate weight training and flexibility into your routine for a well-rounded workout regimen. Whether it’s just 20 or 30 minutes a day, or an hour a couple of times a week, exercise is key to staying healthy and avoiding chronic issues like hypertension and diabetes.
You can follow Dr. Bryce Austell on Instagram here.
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