Patient voices

1,315 articles · Since 2005

Articles, page 34

How much guidance do patients want with their medical decisions?

December 25, 2011Dec 25, 20117

The following column was published on November 10, 2011 in Medical Economics. I recently saw two patients in my primary care clinic, each with new-onset hypertension. The first, a middle-aged executive, brought printouts from the Internet and already had researched…

The following column was published on November 10, 2011 in Medical Economics.

I recently saw two patients in my primary care clinic, each with new-onset hypertension.

The first, a middle-aged executive, brought printouts from the Internet and already had researched the various treatment options for high blood pressure. During the visit, we discussed this information, and I gave my thoughts on what …

Making tailored health education standard of care

Shantanu Nundy, MD

December 18, 2011Dec 18, 20113

The recently instituted 30-hour-shift work restrictions placed on medical residents have created a need for "dayfloat" services to safeguard potentially unsafe handoffs in patient care and help residents adhere to duty hour limits. The past two weeks I’ve been the…

The recently instituted 30-hour-shift work restrictions placed on medical residents have created a need for “dayfloat” services to safeguard potentially unsafe handoffs in patient care and help residents adhere to duty hour limits. The past two weeks I’ve been the dayfloat resident for the cardiology inpatient service. My job is to round with the post-call team, help them get out of the hospital on time, and then take care of their …

How many parents are failing their children

Stephen C. Schimpff, MD

December 18, 2011Dec 18, 20113

Our children (and grandchildren) are the future and we are responsible for their growth and development. As responsible parties, we are clearly failing. That is my interpretation of the report issued a few days ago by the Centers for Disease…

Our children (and grandchildren) are the future and we are responsible for their growth and development. As responsible parties, we are clearly failing.

That is my interpretation of the report issued a few days ago by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on seven criteria known to the associate with ideal cardiovascular health as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examinination Survey. They are defined, briefly, as 1) a diet …

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The powerful connection of emotions in healthcare

Joyce Hyam, RN

December 16, 2011Dec 16, 20114

I remember like it was yesterday. My patient was a young blond female with two beautiful Samoan dogs. Her name was Margaret. I was only two years younger than she was. The diagnosis was poor. She was friendly when I introduced myself. And she proceeded to tell me about her health issues, how she was diagnosed and what treatment she was receiving. Marge as she wanted to be called was …

Why patient complaints are an opportunity

Mary Pat Whaley

December 12, 2011Dec 12, 20117

I have not always been excited to hear patient complaints. As a younger manager I absolutely dreaded when a patient wanted to speak to me. I felt that I had little to offer a patient who expressed anger or frustration with something that had happened and I was very impatient to get past the complaint and get back to my “job.”

Now, I can’t wait to hear patients’ complaints. Complaints …

The rise of citizen scientists and patient initiated research

Kent Bottles, MD

December 10, 2011Dec 10, 20112

Whether you call it Health 2.0, Medicine 2.0, or e-Health 2.0, the Internet is changing medicine in ways that challenge the status quo. This article explores how a group of amateurs who call themselves “health hackers” and “citizen scientists” are trying to use the Internet to connect with other patients, run experiments, and conduct clinical trials on their own diseases.

Dr. Gunther Eysenbach states “Medicine 2.0 applications, services and tools are …

The skinny on obesity

Tracy Krulik

December 9, 2011Dec 9, 201121

There is a fire burning in America over an issue that at times seems hotter to me than the anger against Wall Street: obesity. Time after time when I talk about taking responsibility for our individual health by eating well,…

Many would consider me to be a wellness evangelist. They would be right. For nearly a decade I was sick …

Read more…

The skinny on obesity

How to ease the pain of isolation during the holidays

Toni Bernhard, JD

December 8, 2011Dec 8, 20114

It’s that time of year. The media is filled with stories about people traveling to be with loved-ones. Holiday decorations and yummy recipes abound. But for many people, the holidays are a difficult time of year. This piece is for those of you who face isolation during the holidays, either because you’re unable to be with others at all due to health or financial limitations (which often go hand in …

Good doctor qualities for your aging parent

Maria Basso Lipani

December 6, 2011Dec 6, 20115

As we get older, having a good doctor in our corner becomes incredibly important. And you don’t want just any doctor for your parent. Smarts, signs of basic compassion and a few other things are essential for the relationship to…

As we get older, having a good doctor in our corner becomes incredibly important.

And you don’t want just any doctor for your parent. Smarts, signs of basic compassion and a few other things are essential for the relationship to work.

Good doctor quality #1: Listening skills

Picture it: Your Mom’s doctor’s office. 10am Tuesday. She reaches into her pocket for her list of three concerning symptoms she plans to mention, if she can …

What do you say to a person who has cancer?

Ann Silberman

December 6, 2011Dec 6, 201115

Well-meaning but clueless person: "Let me know if you need anything." Snarky me: "Really? Thanks! Empty your purse and let's see what you have in there. Wait, is that purse Prada? I need that; I have medical bills to pay…

Well-meaning but clueless person: “Let me know if you need anything.”
Snarky me: “Really? Thanks! Empty your purse and let’s see what you have in there. Wait, is that purse Prada? I need that; I have medical bills to pay and want to look good paying them. Oh, that’s a pretty wedding ring, lots of diamonds, can I have that too?”

What you should say is absolutely nothing. This is a time …

The honor of patient responsibility

Albinoblackbear

December 4, 2011Dec 4, 20117

"So the patient has been temporarily paralyzed by the drugs, and you're the one keeping them alive by squeezing air into their lungs, but ... no pressure". Gulp. I was holding the mask as tightly against her face as I…

“So the patient has been temporarily paralyzed by the drugs, and you’re the one keeping them alive by squeezing air into their lungs, but … no pressure”.

Gulp.

I was holding the mask as tightly against her face as I could, sealing the rubber to her cheeks in the effort to keep highly oxygenated air from leaking out. Looking down at her from the head of the bed I saw the patient from …

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The honor of patient responsibility

If you want to know how well the medicine works, ask the patient

Stan Goldberg

December 3, 2011Dec 3, 20112

It was an invitation that made no sense. I was asked to be a special guest of the South Korean Ministry of Tourism and KMI International, a company that markets medical tourism. Why me, I wondered? As I re-read the invitation, I remembered another strange offer I received in the 1970’s during a tense period in Israeli-Arab relations.

“Hello Dr. Goldberg,” an official from the Jordan Ministry of Education had said. …

When applications ask about your psychiatric history

Dinah Miller, MD

November 30, 2011Nov 30, 20117

Sam is young man is applying for a summer program, a real resume builder. Among other things, the application asks if he has been treated for a psychiatric disorder. In fact, he's seen a therapist and he's felt anxious at…

Sam is young man is applying for a summer program, a real resume builder. Among other things, the application asks if he has been treated for a psychiatric disorder. In fact, he’s seen a therapist and he’s felt anxious at times. His internist gave him some Lexapro samples and he feels better. The symptoms of his problems have been limited to his own subjective distress. His anxiety is not something …

10 ways doctors can lose their patients

Dominic A. Carone, PhD

November 28, 2011Nov 28, 201122

As a neuropsychologist, I have the chance to talk to patients throughout the week in detail about their medical histories, supplemented by a comprehensive medical records review. Part of this involves discussing which provider the patient has seen and if the provider was changed, why. Sometimes, a provider is changed for a benign reason, such as a move or an insurance …

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10 ways doctors can lose their patients

Why this doctor moved to private practice

Jordan Grumet, MD

November 27, 2011Nov 27, 201120

Chief of Medicine Evanston Hospital October 23, 2005 To whom it may concern, I would like to take a moment to express my deep displeasure with one of the interactions I had with a physician in the Church Street location.…

Chief of Medicine
Evanston Hospital
October 23, 2005

To whom it may concern,

I would like to take a moment to express my deep displeasure with one of the interactions I had with a physician in the Church Street location. I use the term “interaction” loosely since the doctor in question, Dr. Jordan, never actually saw me. Apparently he was too busy.

Last Thursday I was shopping in downtown Evanston when I felt the sudden …

Living with chronic illness during the holiday season

Toni Bernhard, JD

November 23, 2011Nov 23, 201112

In the U.S., we’re getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. Soon, people around the world will turn their attention to the holiday season. Chronic health problems can take a toll on relationships any time of the year. Most people have to experience unrelenting pain or illness themselves before they understand how debilitating it is, physically and mentally. Loved-ones (by whom I mean family and close friends) may be in some form …

Teaching clinicians the teach-back for patient education

Darren A. DeWalt, MD, MPH

November 23, 2011Nov 23, 20115

I’m a big fan of the teach-back. To my knowledge, it is the only way to confirm that my patient understands my message. I don’t believe avoiding jargon or creating written materials at a favorable readability level can ensure understanding.…

I’ve been teaching clinicians to do the teach-back for about a decade now. For the same amount …

Expecting doctors to be perfect is a setup for dysfunction

Dave deBronkart

November 22, 2011Nov 22, 20115

Science seeks certainty. The problem in medicine is, the body is complex and our knowledge is incomplete. People who want certainty – physicians or patients – are kidding themselves. And if we expect docs to be perfect, it’s a setup…

Sometimes I hear of patients who believe their physicians dissed a proposed or experimental treatment that’s not understood. (I’m not endorsing wacky treatments here – I’m only talking about uncertainty.) …

Choosing a doctor should be like the Amazon shopping experience

Nick Dawson

November 22, 2011Nov 22, 201128

Have I told you how much I love Amazon? Its the awesome! Let’s say I need something – an external hard drive. So I go to Amazon and I type in "external hard drives." Boom. I get a list of,…

Have I told you how much I love Amazon? Its the awesome! Let’s say I need something – an external hard drive. So I go to Amazon and I type in “external hard drives.” Boom. I get a list of, not surprisingly, external hard drives. Which one do I chose? Fortunately, Amazon has some great data and filtering options. I want a desktop drive, not portable, so I filter those out. …

Protecting patients from medical apology programs

Gabriel H. Teninbaum

November 20, 2011Nov 20, 20116

To deal with the aftermath of medical errors, an increasing number of providers are encouraging injured patients to participate in "medical apology programs." The idea, proponents say, is for patients to meet with facility representatives to learn what happened and…

To deal with the aftermath of medical errors, an increasing number of providers are encouraging injured patients to participate in “medical apology programs.” The idea, proponents say, is for patients to meet with facility representatives to learn what happened and why. It gives the patient a chance to ask questions and it gives providers a chance to apologize, and as appropriate, offer compensation. These programs are promoted as humanitarian, and, …

Patient voices

Articles, page 34

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