Patient voices

1,301 articles · Since 2005

Articles, page 60

A nurse practitioner is valuable in hospice and palliative care

February 28, 2010Feb 28, 201011

Recently, a physician colleague expressed her concern about signing routine hospice admission orders for her elderly patient with end stage heart failure. The routine ‘as needed’ (PRN) orders included phenobarbital, pentobarbital, haloperidol, lorazepam, and morphine. “The hospice nurses know more…

Yesterday, a longtime palliative care nurse told me she didn’t want to put her mother with end stage heart failure in …

A beautiful Valentine’s Day patient story

Dr. Charles

February 28, 2010Feb 28, 20103

“I’ll be back in a little while, Hon’. Will you be okay without me?” the frail old woman asked of her husband. She was standing at the front door and breathing heavily. “I’ll be fine,” her husband replied from his…

“I’ll be back in a little while, Hon’. Will you be okay without me?” the frail old woman asked of her husband. She was standing at the front door and breathing heavily.

“I’ll be fine,” her husband replied from his wheelchair. His voice sounded as weak as his body looked – emaciated, scaly, and full of cancer. “I’m sorry I can’t come with you.”

The woman opened the front door. A gust …

Condoms don’t work all the time, and here’s why

MedPage Today

February 26, 2010Feb 26, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today by Chris Emery, MedPage Today Contributing Writer Condoms that don't fit properly are more likely to break, slip off, and decrease the pleasure of both partners during sex, which may discourage their use and undermine…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Chris Emery, MedPage Today Contributing Writer

Condoms that don’t fit properly are more likely to break, slip off, and decrease the pleasure of both partners during sex, which may discourage their use and undermine their public health benefits, a survey found.

Ill-fitting condoms were reported by 44.7% of the men polled. They were more likely than …

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How doctors can improve patient interactions

Lockup Doc, MD

February 24, 2010Feb 24, 201013

by Lockup Doc Physicians learn a lot about many different topics, both in medical training and in practice. However, there are some life lessons that we never learn as well as when we become patients ourselves. When I was 13…

by Lockup Doc

Physicians learn a lot about many different topics, both in medical training and in practice. However, there are some life lessons that we never learn as well as when we become patients ourselves.

When I was 13 or 14 years old, I regularly interacted with 2 different physicians with disparate interpersonal styles. Little did I know then that these seemingly meaningless encounters would indelibly shape my own beliefs about …

Why being President of the United States is a health hazard

MedPage Today

February 24, 2010Feb 24, 2010

Originally published in MedPage Today by Liz O'Brien Exactly whom are we honoring on Presidents (or is it President's) Day? A. George Washington B. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln C. All presidents The answer is more complicated than you'd ever…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Liz O’Brien

Exactly whom are we honoring on Presidents (or is it President’s) Day?

A. George Washington
B. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
C. All presidents

The answer is more complicated than you’d ever expect. Probably A is most correct, but if it were up to me, I’d pick C.

Certainly every one of these 43 men has earned the …

How speed dating can help the doctor patient relationship

Kevin

February 23, 2010Feb 23, 20104

Not literally, of course. In an interesting marketing concept, some would call it a gimmick, a Texas hospital is utilizing speed dating concepts to match patients with obstetricians. I like it. As chronicled by the American Medical News, here's what…

Not literally, of course.

In an interesting marketing concept, some would call it a gimmick, a Texas hospital is utilizing speed dating concepts to match patients with obstetricians.

I like it.

As chronicled by the American Medical News, here’s what happens:

It involves setting aside a room for two 30-minute sessions over the lunch hour. About five or six physicians sit at tables while a dozen or so potential patients rotate through. Every five

…

End-of-life decisions and making advance directive choices

MedPage Today

February 22, 2010Feb 22, 20102

Originally published in MedPage Today by Crystal Phend "I do not want my life to be prolonged if, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, my situation is hopeless." "I want my life to be prolonged as long as possible…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Crystal Phend

“I do not want my life to be prolonged if, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, my situation is hopeless.”

“I want my life to be prolonged as long as possible within the limits of generally accepted medical standards, even if this means that I might be kept alive on machines for years.”

Check …

How to better notify patients of their abnormal test results

Shantanu Nundy, MD

February 16, 2010Feb 16, 201010

I just returned from vacation to find email messages from three patients inquiring about their recent test results. The first email was from a young man who had fainted and underwent Holter monitoring, a test that checks for abnormal heart…

I just returned from vacation to find email messages from three patients inquiring about their recent test results.

The first email was from a young man who had fainted and underwent Holter monitoring, a test that checks for abnormal heart rhythms. The second was from a woman I recently started on cholesterol-modifying therapy who wanted to know whether her recent blood work showed a satisfactory improvement in her cholesterol. The third …

Thoughts from a doctor attending a patient funeral

Dr. Charles

February 12, 2010Feb 12, 2010

On the way to the funeral you wonder how you’ll be received by the grieving. Although you are confident that your care for the deceased was sincere, professional, and adept, you still question if others will so assume. There is…

You manage a bitter smile as you recall stories the patient shared in unguarded moments, behind the door of a …

How patients can bring information and new ideas to their doctors

Wendy S. Harpham, MD

February 7, 2010Feb 7, 201011

A patient learns about a treatment for his condition. So he goes to his physician to suggest the treatment as an option. Is there anything wrong with that? It depends on how his "suggestion" is presented. In today's age of…

A patient learns about a treatment for his condition. So he goes to his physician to suggest the treatment as an option. Is there anything wrong with that?

It depends on how his “suggestion” is presented.

In today’s age of patient advocacy and direct-to-patient marketing of pharmaceuticals, a new phenomenon is flourishing in doctors’ offices: patients asking for specific diagnostic tests or therapies.

I think it’s terrific if you bring information and ideas …

How physician burnout worsens patient care

Kevin

February 3, 2010Feb 3, 201011

It's no secret that primary care doctors are getting burnt out. Last July, I pointed to a study observing that "large numbers of physicians claimed a lack of control of their work, a chaotic work pace and time constraints during…

It’s no secret that primary care doctors are getting burnt out.

Last July, I pointed to a study observing that “large numbers of physicians claimed a lack of control of their work, a chaotic work pace and time constraints during patient visits,” and, “more than a quarter complained of burnout. More than 30 percent indicated they would leave the field within five years.”

Now there’s data showing that unhappy physicians provide …

Why are doctors so reluctant to discuss end of life care?

Kevin

January 29, 2010Jan 29, 201016

A recent study suggests that doctors may put off holding end of life care discussions that involve subjects like advance directives, hospice or site of death. Recommendations suggest that physicians hold these conversations when patients have about a year to…

A recent study suggests that doctors may put off holding end of life care discussions that involve subjects like advance directives, hospice or site of death.

Recommendations suggest that physicians hold these conversations when patients have about a year to live, but the data shows those guidelines aren’t being followed.

Why?

According to the study’s authors, they suggest that doctors “may not be comfortable discussing it,” and, “these conversations are time-consuming and …

The balancing act between science and art is what makes medicine so challenging

Kevin

January 27, 2010Jan 27, 20107

Medicine is at risk from a technology takeover. Consider hospital rounds, for instance. Records are electronic, and doctors have to sort through data from an increasing number of diagnostic tests, like laboratory values and imaging results. Even before stepping into…

Medicine is at risk from a technology takeover.

Consider hospital rounds, for instance. Records are electronic, and doctors have to sort through data from an increasing number of diagnostic tests, like laboratory values and imaging results. Even before stepping into a patient’s room.

Stanford’s Abraham Verghese continually reminds doctors about what’s most important: the patient before us. In fact, his essay published a few years back in the New …

Talking to a patient, without a translator, in mutual non-native languages

Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD

January 22, 2010Jan 22, 2010

“Je m’a…,” I stuttered to Aristede Mezondes, the serious young man in a grey wool overcoat, standing before me with ramrod posture. “Je m’appelle Dr. Ofri.” There. I’d gotten it out. The language of Descartes, Voltaire, and Balzac had clearly…

“Je m’a…,” I stuttered to Aristede Mezondes, the serious young man in a grey wool overcoat, standing before me with ramrod posture. “Je m’appelle Dr. Ofri.”

There. I’d gotten it out.

The language of Descartes, Voltaire, and Balzac had clearly vacated my cortex. Despite those years of French classes and one brief visit to Paris, “Je m’appelle” was the best I could come up with. And even that was a struggle. Pushed …

Obese college students are reading health related spam e-mails

Kevin

January 22, 2010Jan 22, 2010

Most people automatically filter out spam e-mails, or delete them without ever opening them up. But a surprising number of people actually take the time to read them, which is probably why annoying spam will continue unabated. From the New…

Most people automatically filter out spam e-mails, or delete them without ever opening them up.

But a surprising number of people actually take the time to read them, which is probably why annoying spam will continue unabated. From the New York Times’ Well, Tara Parker-Pope writes points an interesting study looking at who actually read health-related spam e-mails.

Looking at college students who were overweight, a study showed that an …

How a doctor’s office can affect patient trust

MedPage Today

January 17, 2010Jan 17, 20108

Originally published in MedPage Today by Marianne Mattera Trust is an essential element in the doctor-patient relationship. You’re well aware of how important it is that you can trust the history the patient gives you. You know the problems that…

Originally published in MedPage Today

by Marianne Mattera

Trust is an essential element in the doctor-patient relationship.

You’re well aware of how important it is that you can trust the history the patient gives you. You know the problems that can arise in planning and managing care if you’re working with only part of the story. And you probably even feel a twinge …

We are becoming a nation of people with multiple chronic diseases

Monte Ladner, MD

January 15, 2010Jan 15, 20102

Many Americans are resolving that this will be the year they finally lose weight. Sadly, most of them will reach the end of 2010 heavier than when they started. We continue losing the weight loss game because our efforts are…

Dr. Dana King of the Medical University of South Carolina recently published two papers on the erosion of American lifestyle habits between 1988 …

When should patients call doctors by their first name?

Kevin

January 6, 2010Jan 6, 201022

According to a recent study from the BMJ, more than half of patients preferred that doctors call them by their first name. But what about doctors? Do they mind if patients didn't address them with a proper title? In a…

According to a recent study from the BMJ, more than half of patients preferred that doctors call them by their first name.

But what about doctors? Do they mind if patients didn’t address them with a proper title?

In a piece from the New York Times, physician Anne Marie Valinoti notes some discomfort when patients addressed her as “Anne Marie”:

How does one address one’s physician? It is almost always an

…

Why patients should be careful of celebrity medical advice

Kevin

December 31, 2009Dec 31, 20094

More celebrities are giving medical advice these days. Rahul Parikh explores the phenomenon in a recent piece from Slate, citing Lance Armstrong, Suzanne Somers, and Jenny McCarthy, among others. But does their celebrity make them an authority in a given…

More celebrities are giving medical advice these days.

Rahul Parikh explores the phenomenon in a recent piece from Slate, citing Lance Armstrong, Suzanne Somers, and Jenny McCarthy, among others.

But does their celebrity make them an authority in a given medical issue? Unfortunately, too many people think so, as following celebrity medical advice can be dangerous

Their messages have led some doctors and patients to make inappropriate health decisions, at times increasing

…

How to tell a family that their loved one has died

Tim Noonan

December 30, 2009Dec 30, 20096

When a team misses out on an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four, or something similarly trivial, these words may be appropriate. When the person, who has been the center of your life dies, what…

What kind of language is that to use when providing some of the worst news we could imagine? True, we could try …

Patient voices

Articles, page 60

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