Patient voices

1,315 articles · Since 2005

Articles, page 45

Improve health journalism to improve consumer knowledge and decisions

May 23, 2011May 23, 20114

Gary Schwitzer is Publisher of HealthNewsReview.org, where he and his team grade daily health news coverage. He works to improve health journalism with the goal of improving consumer knowledge and decision-making. He was the founding editor-in-chief of the MayoClinic.com site. While his guest lecture at Web Strategies for Health Communication was on health news reporting, I realized that his review criteria seemed equally applicable to any health content …

When chronic illness strikes: Tips on talking to family and close friends

Toni Bernhard, JD

May 23, 2011May 23, 20116

In the summer of 2001, I was preparing to begin my 19th year on the faculty of U.C. Davis School of Law. Then I got sick with what the doctors thought was an acute viral infection. I have yet to…

In the summer of 2001, I was preparing to begin my 19th year on the faculty of U.C. Davis School of Law. Then I got sick with what the doctors thought was an acute viral infection. I have yet to recover.

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness or condition can take a toll on your relationships, partly because all of the …

What is normal for a teen with diabetes?

Doctor D, MD

May 21, 2011May 21, 2011

A teacher asks Doctor D about a diabetic teenager in his class: "His sugar readings are often over 400. His mom says this is normal. Can this be normal?" What is normal? a) A state of harmony within the body…

A teacher asks Doctor D about a diabetic teenager in his class: “His sugar readings are often over 400. His mom says this is normal. Can this be normal?”

What is normal?

a) A state of harmony within the body and mind that leads to health and well-being.
b) The typical or status quo for a person; the way things usually are.
c) WTF? There is no such thing as “normal” …

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Cancer will always be a part of a patient’s identity

Ann Silberman

May 20, 2011May 20, 20119

So, you've cut off your breast(s) and poisoned and radiated your body. You've hit all your medical milestones - surgery, chemo, herceptin. You've recovered and the hair on your legs has grown back to plague you, and you have gotten…

So, you’ve cut off your breast(s) and poisoned and radiated your body. You’ve hit all your medical milestones – surgery, chemo, herceptin. You’ve recovered and the hair on your legs has grown back to plague you, and you have gotten back to a normal life. Work, jobs, family. Shaving.

Yet you are changed. You didn’t expect this, but each time you get dressed or undressed, you can’t help but notice your mastectomy …

How patients can handle bad medical news

Maria Basso Lipani

May 20, 2011May 20, 20117

When bad medical news hits, the blow can be devastating. Shock is almost always the first thing people feel, followed by anger, fear and often a profound sense of sadness. At times like these it came be extremely difficult to…

When bad medical news hits, the blow can be devastating.

Shock is almost always the first thing people feel, followed by anger, fear and often a profound sense of sadness.

At times like these it came be extremely difficult to collect your thoughts and decide what to do next. Your head is likely to flood with questions that arrive at various moments – in the middle of the night, in the shower, …

Using Glee for teachable moments to teens

Natasha Burgert, MD

May 19, 2011May 19, 20117

I am a “Gleek.” I admit it. A Gleek is a self-described lover of Fox’s show, Glee. The show features a diverse group of teens who are in the school’s show choir. Glee focuses on the lives of these teens,…

I am a “Gleek.” I admit it.

A Gleek is a self-described lover of Fox’s show, Glee. The show features a diverse group of teens who are in the school’s show choir. Glee focuses on the lives of these teens, in and out of school, while emphasizing certain storyline elements with entertaining Broadway musical-type performances.

The show itself, however, is not the point of this post. Last week was an unexpected …

Navigating any health care facility requires sophisticated literacy skills

Rima Rudd

May 19, 2011May 19, 20113

by Rima Rudd, ScD We take the written word for granted. Signs and billboards are everywhere – offering directional information, alerts, warnings, and advertisements. Streets, public squares, buildings, agencies, and institutions are numbered and named. We are surrounded by the…

by Rima Rudd, ScD

We take the written word for granted.

Signs and billboards are everywhere – offering directional information, alerts, warnings, and advertisements. Streets, public squares, buildings, agencies, and institutions are numbered and named. We are surrounded by the written word in public locations and within public and private institutions. Individual entrances and even elevators in some large buildings carry names. The lobby, the inside …

How the quality of the scientific literature impacts the evidence

MedPage Today

May 18, 2011May 18, 20112

by Tom Lang and George Lundberg, MD A not-so-obvious truth is that evidence-based medicine is literature-based medicine. That is, the quality of the scientific literature directly affects the quality of the evidence. Quality, in turn, depends in large measure on…

by Tom Lang and George Lundberg, MD

A not-so-obvious truth is that evidence-based medicine is literature-based medicine.

That is, the quality of the scientific literature directly affects the quality of the evidence.

Quality, in turn, depends in large measure on reporting research completely and accurately.

In response to ample evidence that such quality is often missing from the literature, dozens of reporting guidelines, such as the CONSORT Statement for reporting randomized trials, are …

5 rules for living well with a chronic illness

Carolyn Thomas

May 14, 2011May 14, 20117

Dr. Elvira Aletta is a clinical psychologist with a unique perspective on what it’s like to live with a chronic illness. In her early twenties, she was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a rare kidney disease that usually affects young boys.…

She’d never heard of that, either. She describes her …

Predicting how much impact mental illness has in a person’s life

Dinah Miller, MD

May 11, 2011May 11, 20113

Why is it that some people have a psychiatric disorder and they bounce back and it's not a big deal, while others struggle terribly? For the unlucky ones, mental illness defines them. Here are some factors that affect how much…

Why is it that some people have a psychiatric disorder and they bounce back and it’s not a big deal, while others struggle terribly? For the unlucky ones, mental illness defines them.

Here are some factors that affect how much impact psychiatric illness has in a person’s life.

The severity of the symptoms. Any way you dice it, mild-to-moderate anxiety can often be hidden

…

How podcasts can help patients with health literacy

Robert Rodvien, MD

May 11, 2011May 11, 20112

When a person is told that they have a serious illness, they are similar to Alice falling down the rabbit hole. They enter a bewildering new world of discussions, tests and treatment programs that must be navigated while maintaining a…

When a person is told that they have a serious illness, they are similar to Alice falling down the rabbit hole.

They enter a bewildering new world of discussions, tests and treatment programs that must be navigated while maintaining a job, life obligations, and relationships with friends and family. Just when a person …

Treatment for stage 0 breast cancer is definitely real

Jackie Fox

May 10, 2011May 10, 20116

I had never heard of ductal carcinoma in situ before I was diagnosed with it. Nor did I have a clue that breast cancer could be classified as stage 0; I only thought it came in stages 1 through 4.…

I had never heard of ductal carcinoma in situ before I was diagnosed with it. Nor did I have a clue that breast cancer could be classified as stage 0; I only thought it came in stages 1 through 4. And I’m far from alone; most people I talked to had never heard of it either, including a …

Bereavement related depression and consoling a new widow

MomTFH, DO

May 8, 2011May 8, 20115

I am really enjoying my geriatrics rotation. Although my attending preceptor is primarily a geriatrician, and practices deep in the heart of retiree central in southeast Florida, he also sees some patients who are younger. I took a history on…

I am really enjoying my geriatrics rotation.

Although my attending preceptor is primarily a geriatrician, and practices deep in the heart of retiree central in southeast Florida, he also sees some patients who are younger. I took a history on a patient who was younger than me today, in her early thirties.

She started off complaining about insomnia and headaches, and then said …

3 ways to deal with serious illness and engage the health care system

Peter J. Weiss, MD

May 6, 2011May 6, 2011

I am deeply conflicted about how we as a society have come to use physicians, medical science and advanced technology in our lives. Everything has its place in life, but we have given modern medicine with its focus on the…

I am deeply conflicted about how we as a society have come to use physicians, medical science and advanced technology in our lives.

Everything has its place in life, but we have given modern medicine with its focus on the chemistry and physics of illness too prominent of a place. We’ve forgotten that we are not treating diseases; we are helping people with diseases.

Many readers, especially those with lifestyle diseases, can …

Be a boring patient, not an interesting patient

Dr. Martin Young

May 6, 2011May 6, 201118

"She’s a really interesting patient!" The doctor visiting the lady in question at home is correct. Nothing about her illness either has been routine. The progression of her disease has confounded her regular doctors for months. Nothing about her condition…

“She’s a really interesting patient!”

The doctor visiting the lady in question at home is correct. Nothing about her illness either has been routine. The progression of her disease has confounded her regular doctors for months. Nothing about her condition is normal. Medications have not worked as expected. The original diagnosis — Parkinson’s — is in question. All my training and expertise is inadequate, for I am an ENT surgeon, not …

Improving atrial fibrillation communication between doctors and patients

Mellanie True Hills

May 6, 2011May 6, 20112

by Mellanie True Hills I have heard from thousands of atrial fibrillation patients who have shared their afib experiences with me. For so many of us, the diagnosis and treatment of afib is confusing and scary. To improve communication between…

by Mellanie True Hills

I have heard from thousands of atrial fibrillation patients who have shared their afib experiences with me. For so many of us, the diagnosis and treatment of afib is confusing and scary.

To improve communication between patients and their health-care providers, and ultimately, provide better care, I recently shared with doctors at the Western Atrial Fibrillation …

Best hospital lists influence consumer decision making

Tobin Arthur

May 5, 2011May 5, 20118

We all like lists. US News & World Report has told us for years which colleges are considered the top in the nation. Castle Connolly tells us which are the “Top Doctors” in our community and Car & Driver gives…

We all like lists. US News & World Report has told us for years which colleges are considered the top in the nation. Castle Connolly tells us which are the “Top Doctors” in our community and Car & Driver gives us a ranking of cars by type.

In The Order of Things, Malcolm Gladwell pokes serious holes in some of our most revered rankings and lists.

If …

The mission of the hospice and palliative care is to ease patient suffering

Kathy Kastner

May 4, 2011May 4, 20118

Until recently, I had but the vaguest idea of what hospice and palliative care and medicine (hpm) entailed. Until tuning into the #hpm Twitter group – hospice and palliative medicine – both words conjured a gloomy atmosphere of despair, grief,…

Until recently, I had but the vaguest idea of what hospice and palliative care and medicine (hpm) entailed.

Until tuning into the #hpm Twitter group – hospice and palliative medicine – both words conjured a gloomy atmosphere of despair, grief, anger, pain en route to dying. I wondered at those working in the field: they must be a bit weird.

I now know differently, …

How the fear of SIDS keeps infant sleep positioners on the market

Wendy Sue Swanson, MD

May 3, 2011May 3, 20115

I hate infant sleep positioners. They are not safe or helpful. If you have one or know a family/friend who uses one for their infant, throw it out. Trash compact it. Stomp on it. Cut it up in bits. This…

When I was first started in practice, I didn’t even know sleep positioners existed; I …

Cancer is a crime, and how a tumor board is the courtroom

Katherine O'Brien

May 2, 2011May 2, 2011

Cancer patients usually say they want a cure. Well, of course, that goes without saying. But it’s also kind of annoying. We’ve all, as children and adults, had those "What if" conversations. What if you could have anything you wanted…

Cancer patients usually say they want a cure. Well, of course, that goes without saying. But it’s also kind of annoying.

We’ve all, as children and adults, had those “What if” conversations. What if you could have anything you wanted in the whole world? Depending on the respondents’ ages, people might say anything from “a banana cream …