September 8th, 2011 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Medical Art, Opinion
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Often the simplest solutions to problems are the best. So it would seem when it comes to the impact that increasing patient trust in physicians could have on many of the intractable challenges that face the health care industry everyday like non-adherence, lack of involvement, poor health status, dissatisfaction and so on.
I explore the link between patient trust and outcomes in the following infographic I curated and designed. What surprised me is how a patient’s level of trust in their doctor, like so much of what I talk about in this blog, boils downs to the patient’s perception of the physician’s ability to communicate: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
August 30th, 2011 by Dinah Miller, M.D. in Humor, Opinion
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If you haven’t seen Anderson Cooper catch a case of the giggles on live TV, you can still watch it on YouTube. I missed the first showing, but saw Mr. Cooper replayed it on his own Ridiculist List. But what’s this doing on Shrink Rap?
I watched the re-run, and I found myself laughing out loud. Only, it wasn’t a good, happy, hearty laugh, it was an embarrassed and uncomfortable laugh, and I realized I’d taken on the feelings of the newsman. If I were a psychiatrist (oops, I am, even in August), I might say that Anderson Cooper Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Shrink Rap*
August 26th, 2011 by Davis Liu, M.D. in News, Opinion
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The New York Times recently published an article titled, Finding a Quality Doctor, Dr. Danielle Ofri an internist at NYU, laments how she was unable to perform as well as expected in the areas of patient care as it related to diabetes. From the August 2010 New England Journal of Medicine article, Dr. Ofri notes that her report card showed the following – 33% of patients with diabetes have glycated hemoglobin levels at goal, 44% have cholesterol levels at goal, and a measly 26% have blood pressure at goal. She correctly notes that these measurements alone aren’t what makes a doctor a good quality one, but rather the areas of interpersonal skills, compassion, and empathy, which most of us would agree constitute a doctor’s bedside manner, should count as well.
Her article was simply to illustrate that “most doctors are genuinely doing their best to help their patients and that these report cards might not be accurate reflections of their care” yet when she offered this perspective, a contrary point of view, many viewed it as “evidence of arrogance.”
She comforted herself by noting that those who criticized her were “mostly [from] doctors who were not involved in direct patient care (medical administrators, pathologists, radiologists). None were in the trenches of primary care.”
From the original NEJM article, Dr. Ofri concluded Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
August 1st, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in News, Opinion
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Can we teach empathy to the next generation of physicians? The University of South Florida Health thinks so and they’re putting it on the line this week with the launch of the SELECT program, a new curriculum intended to “put empathy, communication and creativity back into doctoring.”
The SELECT (Scholarly Excellence. Leadership Experiences. Collaborative Training.) program will offer 19 select students unique training in leadership development as well as the scholarly tools needed to become physician leaders and catalysts for change. During their first week on campus, instead of the old-style medical school tradition of heading to the gross anatomy lab, SELECT students are immersed in leadership training centered in empathy and other core principles of patient-centered care.
The hope is that this program will prepare the next generation of departmental chairmen, CMOs and physician thought leaders through more intense, non-traditional preparation.
Students will Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
May 6th, 2011 by StevenWilkinsMPH in True Stories
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I had a WOW experience yesterday when I accompanied my wife to interview a new doctor for her. As some reader may know she is being seen by specialists at MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston for Stage IV lung cancer. She has not had a local oncologist for the past 6 years…but she does now. And we both love this guy!
You need to understand that I have been very underwhelmed by the local oncologists I had met up till now. I am sure they were clinically proficient…but as a group not a one could muster a smile….or any sense of interest or curiosity in my wife’s medical condition. I held out little hope that this new doctor would be any different.
After being ushered into the exam room, a Physician’s Assistant came into the room to get smart about my wife’s history and records (which she brought). Three things surprised me about the PA. 1) She was incredibly thorough actually reading the radiology reports and reflecting with my wife on what she learned, 2) her empathy – as she read the reports she actually used terms like “bummer” when she read how my wife developed pneumonia during her treatment, and 3) she faithfully summarized the results of her review to the doctor before he came in. In other words – the PA listened and heard what my wife shared with her!
Now enters the doctor. He has a warm smile on his face while he extends a hand to my wife and me. He says just enough for us to know that he has talked to the PA. He asks my wife to sit on the exam table and does a physical exam (also a rare event these days). Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
