Patient voices

1,315 articles · Since 2005

Articles, page 43

Grocery store tips to avoid poor dietary and financial decisions

July 19, 2011Jul 19, 20112

Taking a trip to the grocery store can be more dangerous than you’d think. Waiting for you in each and every aisle are marketing ploys aimed at suppressing your better reasoning, the ultimate result being you making poor dietary or…

Taking a trip to the grocery store can be more dangerous than you’d think.

Waiting for you in each and every aisle are marketing ploys aimed at suppressing your better reasoning, the ultimate result being you making poor dietary or financial decisions – whether you know it or not (enter the 100 calorie pack, my arch nemesis, right behind diet soda). But it doesn’t have to be that way – …

Why patients should change their doctor

Steve Wilkins, MPH

July 19, 2011Jul 19, 201110

Sure you are comfortable with your current doctor, after all you are still alive and kicking. Besides it has taken you years to figure out what you can safely tell your doctor and when it’s ok to speak up. Yes,…

Yes, the fact that your doctor is often late and never seems to listen to you bothers you just a little. You aren’t displeased enough to stop giving your doctor high …

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Why patients should change their doctor

Domestic medical tourism saving employers money and improving outcomes

Dave Chase

July 19, 2011Jul 19, 20112

Over 1.5 million Americans travel abroad each year for medical procedures. Services typically sought by travelers include elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as cardiac surgery, dental surgery, joint replacement, and cosmetic surgeries. However, virtually every type…

Over 1.5 million Americans travel abroad each year for medical procedures.

Services typically sought by travelers include elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as cardiac surgery, dental surgery, joint replacement, and cosmetic surgeries. However, virtually every type of health care, including alternative treatments, psychiatry, convalescent care and even burial services are available.

U.S. based healthcare providers have taken notice as have self-funded employers and health plans. The …

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The side effects of cancer treatment go beyond losing your hair

Jessica Gold

July 18, 2011Jul 18, 201110

If someone asked me at this point in the year, which happens to be nearly the end of my first one, what I liked most about medical school, it would have to be the patient's stories. I could do without…

If someone asked me at this point in the year, which happens to be nearly the end of my first one, what I liked most about medical school, it would have to be the patient’s stories.

I could do without the hours of science classes and my utter lack of motivation to learn any subject that I am told is important. I could also do without the people who need …

The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation improves patient safety

American Society of Anesthesiologists & Robert K. Stoelting, MD

July 18, 2011Jul 18, 20116

A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) is celebrating its 25th anniversary. APSF is a patient advocate organization whose mission is to improve the safety of patients during anesthesia…

A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com.

The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) is celebrating its 25th anniversary. APSF is a patient advocate organization whose mission is to improve the safety of patients during anesthesia care by encouraging and conducting: safety research and education; patient safety programs and campaigns; and the national and international exchange of information and ideas.

“APSF has had a profound impact on …

It’s not an advocate’s job to save a patient’s life

Trisha Torrey

July 16, 2011Jul 16, 20115

Sooner or later, it happens to every patient advocate or navigator who works with patients on the medical aspects of their care (as opposed to other forms of advocacy, like billing or legal advocates). One of “our” patients -- someone…

One of “our” patients — someone whose hand we have held, who we have protected from problems in the hospital, who depended on our advocacy expertise as a way to make the …

Let go of guilt while trying to get your baby to sleep

Melissa Arca, MD

July 12, 2011Jul 12, 20119

Getting your infant, toddler, or even preschooler to sleep through the night is tricky at best. If you are one of the lucky ones, you may have an "easy" sleeper. You know, the one that seems content after some rocking,…

Getting your infant, toddler, or even preschooler to sleep through the night is tricky at best.

If you are one of the lucky ones, you may have an “easy” sleeper. You know, the one that seems content after some rocking, singing, and nursing. Things just flow and voila, you actually have a baby that, “sleeps like a baby” so to speak.

However, for many of us, “sleep like a baby” is …

Our health system defaults toward treatment rather than compassion

Sara Billings, RN

July 7, 2011Jul 7, 201126

I believe knowledge is power. There is no more complex topic in the healthcare debate than end-of-life care. I have been a Registered Nurse for thirty years. I deal with this every day. All of us will confront this issue eventually. When it’s your turn, I hope the medical profession will guide you to the best options for you and your family.

Often I see patients who have prepared living …

Patients who bill their doctor for being late

Pamela Wible, MD

July 6, 2011Jul 6, 2011393

Meet Elaine. We lost touch for a while, but caught up with each other recently. Like most girlfriends, we shared adventures of love, travel, and work. I told Elaine that I left assembly-line medicine. Now I host town hall meetings-inspiring…

Meet Elaine.

We lost touch for a while, but caught up with each other recently.

Like most girlfriends, we shared adventures of love, travel, and work. I told Elaine that I left assembly-line medicine. Now I host town hall meetings-inspiring citizens nationwide to design ideal clinics and hospitals.

Elaine shared: “If I’m kept waiting, I bill the doctor. At the twenty-minute mark, I politely tell …

When the parent becomes child and child becomes parent

Stewart Segal, MD

July 6, 2011Jul 6, 20114

I bet you didn’t know that the war for independence is being fought on a daily basis throughout our glorious country. From the time we are born until the time we die, each of us strives to assert our independence. Once the toddler learns to run, he insists on running wherever he wants to. As he ages, we foster his need to be independent and teach him …

Use the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service

Erin Marcus, MD

July 5, 2011Jul 5, 2011

Brenda Bryant learned she had breast cancer while she was sitting alone in her car in the parking lot of her grandson's day care center. It was early evening on a Friday two years ago, and her surgeon called to…

Brenda Bryant learned she had breast cancer while she was sitting alone in her car in the parking lot of her grandson’s day care center. It was early evening on a Friday two years ago, and her surgeon called to tell her the results of a biopsy. “He just gave me my results and that was it,” says Bryant, who lives in Northern Virginia. “It was like there was …

Measuring physician trust in patients

Jessie Gruman, PhD

July 1, 2011Jul 1, 20115

Members of the American public are frequently surveyed about their trust in various professionals. Doctors and nurses usually wind up near the top of the list, especially when compared to lawyers, hairdressers and politicians. Trust in professionals is important to us: they possess expertise we lack but need, to solve problems ranging from the serious (illness) to the relatively trivial (appearance).

How much professionals trust us seems irrelevant: our reciprocity is …

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Measuring physician trust in patients

Using gender as sole determinant for a choice of doctor

Colleen Kelly Mellor

June 29, 2011Jun 29, 201111

It happened 25 years ago and I never forgot it. I’d been in the forefront of women’s consciousness-raising; I recognized that women had been professionally downtrodden for years (in certain fields), and hoping to do my part to balance the…

But using gender as sole determinant for my choice of doctor would prove to be a huge mistake … as I’d learn.

At …

Patients are often intimidated and confused by the medical experience

Dr. Peripatetic, MD

June 29, 2011Jun 29, 201116

As a recently minted physician, I am often on the receiving end of the gripes and grouses about the medical profession. Often I get complaints of office visits that are too short, doctors who seem too preoccupied to hear their…

As a recently minted physician, I am often on the receiving end of the gripes and grouses about the medical profession.

Often I get complaints of office visits that are too short, doctors who seem too preoccupied to hear their patients’ complaints, medical bills that are too high and medications that do nothing but cause adverse effects. On the other hand, I can’t count the number of times I have …

Avoiding confrontations and the difficulty of standing up for yourself

Susan Biali Haas, MD

June 28, 2011Jun 28, 20118

When I was 8, my mom went to a parent-teacher night at school. When she sat down with my teacher, the teacher smiled and said: "So how are Susan’s swimming lessons going?" My mom frowned, confused. "Susan isn’t taking swimming…

When I was 8, my mom went to a parent-teacher night at school. When she sat down with my teacher, the teacher smiled and said: “So how are Susan’s swimming lessons going?”

My mom frowned, confused. “Susan isn’t taking swimming lessons – perhaps you’ve confused her with someone else?”

“No, I’m sure,” my teacher insisted. “Susan told me that she has to leave at 3 o’clock every afternoon, right when the bell …

How positive thinking affects patients with serious illnesses

Dr. Martin Young

June 28, 2011Jun 28, 201117

I was sick the other day. A bout of gastroenteritis that had me vomiting with diarrhea for 24 hours and feeling weak for another 48. I felt rough for a while, but got over it pretty quickly. My family gave me just the right amount of care, and avoided me appropriately because I get grumpy when I am sick.

Had they dared approach me with the suggestion that my state of …

Closing the communication gap between patients and physicians

Howard Luks, MD

June 27, 2011Jun 27, 20118

I lived in Japan in 1991. When I was having a conversation with someone, they would always nod their head as if they completely understood the message I was trying to convey. It turns out that was not the case.…

I lived in Japan in 1991. When I was having a conversation with someone, they would always nod their head as if they completely understood the message I was trying to convey.

It turns out that was not the case. The nodding was a sign of respect. When I began to inquire if they understood what I was trying to say — it became clear that the answer was usually no.

Many …

Using video games to fight childhood obesity

Ricky Choi, MD

June 22, 2011Jun 22, 2011

"I don't study because it gets in the way of my video game time" -15 year old patient. Sorry mom and dad, video games are here to stay. In my clinic, this is a topic of discussion every day: "How…

“I don’t study because it gets in the way of my video game time”

-15 year old patient.

Sorry mom and dad, video games are here to stay. In my clinic, this is a topic of discussion every day:

“How many hours of screen time does Mikey get every day?” I ask.
“Tell the truth”, Mom says looking at Mikey.
“brmfbr mbbrm,” says Mikey looking away.
Mother turns to me with the familiar look that

…

Make the most of the time spent with a doctor to minimize patient frustration

Melanie Lane, MD

June 22, 2011Jun 22, 20114

A lot of people express frustration when visiting their doctor’s office. They don’t feel they are listened to, cared about, or have their issues adequately addressed. If this sounds familiar, it could be that your doctor is evil, or what’s…

Due to decreasing reimbursement and increasing expenses, many doctors are forced to see more patients just to keep their …

When TV news departments partner with local medical centers

Gary Schwitzer

June 21, 2011Jun 21, 2011

It's not a new phenomenon. In fact, it's troubling how old and widespread it is. But when TV news departments partner with, and sell news time to local medical centers, you can take the Radio-Television Digital News Association's code of…

It’s not a new phenomenon. In fact, it’s troubling how old and widespread it is.

But when TV news departments partner with, and sell news time to local medical centers, you can take the Radio-Television Digital News Association’s code of ethics and throw it out the window.

Blythe Bernhard reports in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “In St. Louis, the latest media/hospital partnership is a campaign from Barnes-Jewish Hospital and local …