If there is one problem that symbolizes the ongoing national healthcare emergency, it is the rampant price gouging in the healthcare industry that continues to price too many Americans out of access to care and into financial ruin.
Being aware of what's happening in the room -- paying attention to the process -- requires an intention, a willingness to be present, to show up and engage with our patients in a way that is mutually respectful.
By and large, doctors and nurses are well-meaning, and most of the time, the system is working well and you will get good care. However, mistakes do happen. Follow the tips above to make sure that you are safe and well during every hospital stay.
While health care is full of very talented and dedicated people, they are working extremely hard in systems that are, quite frankly, completely broken. Even worse, these wildly talented people are not being effectively used to fix the problems.
Now, nearly 30 years later, thoughts of Edith and her psychosis, her time with me (and my time with her) on an inpatient psychiatric unit, my attempts to understand her and care for her, have affected my work today. I struggle with this question: How can we do better?
I got into the health care field to save lives, and the last thing I planned on doing was to chair a committee and study process improvement. In the beginning, I asked myself how all of that ancillary activity could have anything to do with my mission and calling.
Patient outcomes have been superseded by paperwork. The new computer revolution now institutionalizes this fixation electronically. Patient care gets lost in the shuffle, often competing head to head with the bureaucratic demands.
Some have suggested that sending a condolence card is in fact part of a physician's professional obligation to a patient. Families may be comforted by the affirmation that their loved one was not merely a name on a roster, but a person, whose death is noteworthy.
Maybe a standard nurse-to-patient ratio is the way to go. It would certainly be better than what we have now. Patients on our inpatient psychiatric units deserve better than what we, given staffing cuts, are able to give.
Have you tried to tell your story, only to have the doctor interrupt with a list of questions? This advice should help.
You may be dissatisfied and frustrated by the way your medical care is today, but there is a way to make it better. You hold the key to transforming your health, beginning with establishing a solid partnership with your doctor.
We live and practice in an increasingly technology-driven society. Email and texting are default methods of communication, and our patients request that we friend them on Facebook and follow health advice delivered in brief 140-character bursts on Twitter.
The present state of health care in this country to an increasing extent involves strangers caring for strangers, with patients' narratives and life stories no longer a key element guiding decisions about their own health care.
Many people are demanding better oversight of drug manufacturers in the wake of the recent fungal meningitis outbreak. But few people are asking an even more important question: Why were these patients getting questionable -- and mostly unnecessary -- steroid injections in the first place?
Patients like Robert make clear that the very personal meaning patients find in their illnesses can be profoundly empowering. All too often, however, health care does not allow patients to explore the personal significance of their diseases.
When health-care providers cry -- as they almost all do, at least occasionally -- I encourage all of us as their family members, friends, colleagues, and sometimes patients to offer them an ear, a tissue, and a reminder that even though it is rarely talked about, they are not crying alone.
Here are the two most common issues that have come up during conversations that only break the surface of what we as physicians can work on when it comes to enhancing the relationship between nurses and doctors.
Brian Goldman makes an impassioned personal case for changing the culture of medicine by admitting errors of judgment. I think that the most important step in making that change is recognizing the relationship between physician and patient for what it really is: a partnership.
Can you imagine that most doctors learn little about the third leading cause of death in medical school?
Does race or gender influence decision-making among members of the most respected professions? Several recent, high-profile studies conclude that, yes, even scientists, doctors, and judges are vulnerable to such unconscious bias.
In health care, the world breaks down into two types: those who "believe" in alternative medicine and those who think it is quackery. This is unfortunate. New ideas are always alternative until they become well accepted.
A nurse is the first line of defense when it comes to identifying problems that a patient may be experiencing. Nurses pick up on small indicators that patients may be in trouble, explained Brown. High patient loads and long shifts can only endanger the patient.
No one enjoys spending time in the hospital. But consider what it might be like if the white, sterile walls were covered in mirrored mosaics and orridors were marked with kinetic sculptures. Smith Center utilizes arts to facilitate healing.
Despite the difficulties of staying hale and hearty during the busiest few years of a physician's career, medical residents not only have a personal responsibility for their well-being but also an obligation to their patients to engage in the same healthy behaviors that they recommend.
At age 16, for reasons that are not entirely clear to me, I'm not great at accepting help. But as I've thought about this failing of mine, I've wondered if it may in part explain why I want to be a doctor.
