It’s extremely upsetting when doctors are dismissive of your symptoms or devalue your perceptions about your own health. But the worst thing that happens when doctors don’t take you seriously is that real medical problems often get misdiagnosed and go untreated. And if you are a parent trying to advocate for your sick child, it… Continue reading When Doctors Dismiss Your Symptoms
Tag: Medical Care
The Truths about Your Doctor You’ll Never See on TV
What makes a drug-addicted people-hating doctor with zero regard for laws so popular that millions of people chose to spend time with him every week? Who am I talking about? Gregory House, MD. For eight years, we loved every episode. One year, House was the most watched television show on the entire planet. The newest… Continue reading The Truths about Your Doctor You’ll Never See on TV
Ten Tips for Effective Communication With Your Doctor
Sometimes in my work as a family doctor, the days don’t always go as expected. On a busy day, I feel like I’ll never catch up, and it’s frustrating that I can’t give adequate time to each individual patient. One afternoon not long ago, I was feeling unusually tired. I looked down at my schedule… Continue reading Ten Tips for Effective Communication With Your Doctor
The 6 Tools of High Performance Medicine You Need to Know About
Anyone who needs to be in peak shape to do their job – whether it’s on a football field, basketball court or in the boardroom takes health seriously. Find out what medical treatments high performers from athletes to celebrities are turning to in order to stay in the game. The doctors at the Los Angeles… Continue reading The 6 Tools of High Performance Medicine You Need to Know About
Could Customer Loyalty Programs Work in Healthcare?
When you buy a cup of coffee, a load of groceries, an airline ticket or a tank of gas these days, you probably pull out a customer loyalty card without even thinking about it. The card might even be linked to how you pay. You may be thinking mostly about the perks you’re earning. But… Continue reading Could Customer Loyalty Programs Work in Healthcare?
Magnet Hospitals = Nursing Excellence & Better Patient Experiences
A study published in October 2015 in Health Services Research shows that Magnet hospitals nationally that are accredited for nursing excellence have higher patient ratings of care than other hospitals. The study, led by Dr. Witkoski-Stimpfel at New York University College of Nursing and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Center for Health Outcomes… Continue reading Magnet Hospitals = Nursing Excellence & Better Patient Experiences
Good Communication in the OR Prevents Patient Complications
In a study by psychologists and surgeons concerning elective, open abdominal surgeries conducted in 167 patients, communication by the surgical team that was relevant to the procedure was linked with a reduced risk of the development of surgical site infections. On the other hand, irrelevant communication during the closing phase of the procedure was linked… Continue reading Good Communication in the OR Prevents Patient Complications
High-Volume Facilities Better for Nursing Hip Fractures
There isn’t a lot of information available to help family caregivers choose the best skilled nursing facility for an elderly loved one who breaks a hip, but a September 2015 study done at Brown University suggests a potentially useful quality indicator: the facility’s number of hip fracture patients during the prior year. The sweeping new… Continue reading High-Volume Facilities Better for Nursing Hip Fractures
Some Post-Operative Patients Prefer Online Care
Most people who undergo routine operations prefer their post-operative consultations to be done online rather than in person, according to a new study. The study, published online as an “article in press” on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website, will appear in the print publication of the Journal later this year. In… Continue reading Some Post-Operative Patients Prefer Online Care
Study: Diagnostic Errors Are Too Common
At some point in their lives, most people will get an inaccurate or delayed diagnosis that could have serious consequences, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. And the findings also revealed that there have been only limited efforts to improve diagnosis and reduce… Continue reading Study: Diagnostic Errors Are Too Common
ICU Is Best for Older, Low-Risk Patients With Pneumonia
Among Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with pneumonia, intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients, which appeared to be discretionary, was associated with improved survival and no significant differences in Medicare spending or hospital costs compared with patients admitted to general wards. That is the finding of a University of Michigan study published in the September 22/29… Continue reading ICU Is Best for Older, Low-Risk Patients With Pneumonia
Electronic Health Records Should Meet the Needs of Physicians
When physicians prepare for patient visits, one of their first steps is to review clinic notes or health records that recap their patients’ medical history. Since the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, approximately 78 percent of office-based physicians have adopted electronic health records (EHR). However, previous research found… Continue reading Electronic Health Records Should Meet the Needs of Physicians
Teaching Clinicians Safe Opioid Prescribing
Educating clinicians on how to prescribe opioids safely can help decrease opioid misuse among chronic pain sufferers. That’s the finding of research done at Boston University Medical Center and published online in August 2015 in the journal Pain Medicine. The study confirms that education can empower clinicians to make more informed clinical decisions about initiating,… Continue reading Teaching Clinicians Safe Opioid Prescribing
Is Hospice Use Alone a Good Indicator of Quality of End-of-Life Care?
Hospice use is commonly accepted as an indicator of quality of end-of-life care. However, when researchers in the U.S. studied variations in patterns of hospice use between states, they found troubling trends. They discuss the variations in the timing and duration of hospice enrollment and their implications in an article published in August 2015 in… Continue reading Is Hospice Use Alone a Good Indicator of Quality of End-of-Life Care?
Not-for-Profit Hospitals May Not Trump For-Profits for Uncompensated Care
While not-for-profit hospitals receive substantial tax benefits, some do not provide free or subsidized care for a higher percentage of patients living in poverty than their for-profit counterparts, according to a study done by the University of California San Francisco in August 2015 and published August 3, in Health Affairs. A release from the university… Continue reading Not-for-Profit Hospitals May Not Trump For-Profits for Uncompensated Care
Seniors at High Risk for Readmission After Ambulatory Surgery
Patients 65 and older who have ambulatory surgery are much more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days than younger patients, regardless of their health before surgery according to a large national Northwestern Medicine study published in the August 2015 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society. The likely cause,… Continue reading Seniors at High Risk for Readmission After Ambulatory Surgery
Hospitals Unfairly Penalized for Good Care
A study by Johns Hopkins researchers indicates that hospitals suffer improper financial penalties because of the number of patients who suffer blood clots in the lung or leg. The researchers said the penalties did not take into account clots that occurred despite consistent use of the best preventive therapies. “We have a big problem with… Continue reading Hospitals Unfairly Penalized for Good Care
Resurrecting Ancient Viruses in Hopes of Improving Gene Therapy
Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute have reconstructed an ancient virus that is highly effective at delivering gene therapies to the liver, muscle, and retina. This discovery, published July 30th 2015 in Cell Reports, could potentially be used to design gene therapies that are not only safer and more potent than therapies… Continue reading Resurrecting Ancient Viruses in Hopes of Improving Gene Therapy