September 6th, 2010 by Debra Gordon in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Aging Adults, Aging and Your Health, Aging Well, Eating Right, Feeling Ill, General Medicine, Getting Older, Healthy Aging, Otitis Externa, Pain Tolerance, Regular Exercise, Self-Care, Swimmer's Ear, The Importance of Health
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I don’t do well with pain. I learned that lesson all too well during the birth of my first son when, after 10 hours of labor jump-started by a pitocin drip, I finally got an epidural. Nothing — and I mean nothing — has ever felt as good as the ebbing of that pain. I relearned the lesson during the birth of the second son, this time determined to go natural all the way when, after a few hours, I told the doula to “shut up” and ordered my husband to hunt down the anesthesiologist and “Get me an epidural — NOW!” He listens well.
By the time the third son was born, I had the drill down pat. I was admitted to the hospital to be induced again but this time, as soon as the IV was hooked up and before the first labor pain hit, I had the anesthesiologist in the room putting in the epidural. It was a completely painless birth — and a lot of fun.
My issues with pain extend to my issues with being sick. I simply do not like not feeling ill. I’ve been very lucky and extremely blessed in my life — the most serious thing I’ve ever had wrong with me was strep throat or a stubborn sinus infection. As a medical writer, I’m far too familiar with all the things that could go wrong with me, so I feel guilty even complaining about my minor issues. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at A Medical Writer's Musings on Medicine, Health Care, and the Writing Life*
September 6th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: 30 Million Newly-Insured Patients, American Board of Internal Medicine, At-Risk Doctors, Colin West, Compromising Patient Care, Depression in Doctors, Dissatisfied Physicians, Doctor Patient Relationship, Doctors and Suicide, Emotional Exhaustion, Healthcare reform, Influencing Patient Care, JAMA, Journal of the American Medical Association, Leaving Primary Care, Mayo Clinic, Medical Errors, Medical Mistakes, Medical Residents, Medical Training Epidemic, Minimize Doctors' Distress, Mistakes In Patient Care, New England Journal of Medicine, New York Times, Physician Burnout, Physician Fatigue, Stressed-Out Doctors, Tired Doctors, University of Rochester School of Medicine
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A new patient recently said he was referred to me after his last doctor had left medicine. His old doctor always looked unhappy and burned out, he noted.
Burnout affects more than half of doctors, according to researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Beyond mere job dissatisfaction, these doctors are emotionally exhausted to the point where they lose focus. They tend to be more depressed — perhaps one reason why doctors have a higher suicide rate than the general population.
While burnout can happen in any profession, the performance of stressed-out doctors can hurt someone else: Patients. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
September 5th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Big Pharma, Brand Name Prescription Drugs, Cost of Medications, Cozaar, Drug Costs, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Generic Drugs, Internal Medicine, Lisinopril, Losartan, Marginally Discounted Generic Drug Prices, Patients Not Taking Medications, Pharmaceutical Industry, Pharmacology, Primary Care
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I received the following e-mail from a patient (paraphrased):
Dear Dr. Fisher,
Thank you for trying to switch me from lisinopril to generic losartan (Cozaar) to help me with the irritating cough that has been nagging me since I was placed on lisinopril. I did not pick up my prescription, though. At nearly $200 for a three-month supply, I’ve decided to live with the cough, since the same amount of lisinopril costs me about $12.
-Ms. Patient
Interesting how the generic drug market for some drugs only marginally discounts prices. Since the companies that make generics did not have to absorb research and development costs, how do they justify the exorbitant prices? Simple: The middlemen still have to get theirs.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
September 5th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Advice For Parents, Children's Health, Decisions For Your Child, Family Medicine, Father's Perspective, General Medicine, Parenting Behavior, Parenting Preferences, Parenting Styles, Pediatrician, Pediatrics, Primary Care
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Many times when faced with a clinical dilemma, a parent will turn to me and ask: “What would you do if this were your child?”
When faced with this question, I never quite know what to say. And each time I feel a little on-the-spot. But why is that? Aren’t I comfortable recommending for someone else exactly what I would do for my own child? After all, what have I got to hide?
Here’s the problem: The decisions we make as parents involve our values, tolerance of risk, level of concern and frustration, prior health experience, and religious belief — to name but a few. There’s no way to fully tease those things from the parent sitting across the room. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
September 4th, 2010 by BarbaraFicarraRN in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, Research
Tags: 15-Minute Office Visit, Doctor-Patient Communication, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Good Patient Outcomes, How To Talk To Your Doctor, Less Time With Patients, Managed Care Environment, Not Enough Time For Patients, Office Visit Interruptions, Patient-Physician Relationship, Primary Care, Rushed Office Visit, Time Spent With Patients
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From Kevin Pho’s medical blog, KevinMD, a post archived from 2004, Pho talks about the struggles of communication between doctor and patient during the 15-minute office visit.
Pho sites a New York Times article that explains that more than two decades ago, research shows that patients were interrupted 18 seconds into explaining their problem (on average) and less than 2 percent got to finish their explanations.
Pho sites that he sometimes falls into the “interruption trap,” saying: “I think this is a natural progression to our managed care environment. Physicians are compensated by quantity of patients seen, and are kept to a strict schedule -– in most cases every 15-minutes.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Health in 30*
