Medical and Research Studies

Patients Looking Out for Each Other – When Patients Know Best

4 Comments / Health /Medical Consumerism, Healthcare Quality, Medical and Research Studies, Patient Advocacy, Patient Empowerment, Patient Safety, Patient Tools, Self Help

When oncologists consider recommendations for their patients’ cancer treatment, they will often consider the guidelines published by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. They expect to find the latest information in effective treatment, based on the best research, along with information they can share with their patients. But it turns out, that may not be what’s […]

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Chicken Little, Wishful Thinking and the 24 Hour News Cycle

Follow the Money, Health /Medical Consumerism, Media, Medical and Research Studies, Patient Empowerment, Patient Safety, Pharmaceutical Drugs, Politics and Medicine, You Bet Your Life!

One frightening and frustrating trend we’ve seen since the 24-hour news cycle became a reality (meaning – since we have all gotten used to, and expect, to get our news updated at anytime, day or night, everywhere) – credibility has taken a nose dive. We want to think we can count on the “facts” as

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Time to Put a Stop to Drive-by-Doctoring

2 Comments / Doctor Communication, Follow the Money, Health /Medical Consumerism, Healthcare Quality, Media, Medical and Research Studies, Patient Empowerment, Patient Tools, Self Help

As many of my readers know, I speak at meetings and conferences fairly frequently, and most often to groups of patients and caregivers. The focus of the talks I give is usually on a patient empowerment topic – ranging from how to communicate with your doctor, to how to stay safe in the hospital, to

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Check Out Those Health Charities Before You Donate

1 Comment / Follow the Money, Health /Medical Consumerism, Healthcare Quality, Medical and Research Studies, Politics and Medicine, Self Help

This column first appeared in the Syracuse Post Standard December 6, 2011 It’s that time of year again. The holidays, of course. But also the end of the tax year, when charities, including groups like cancer societies or hospital foundations, are pleading for donations. Each year in December my husband and I make contributions to

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Don’t Let Your Medical Test Results Fall Through the Cracks

Doctor Communication, Health /Medical Consumerism, Healthcare Quality, Medical and Research Studies, Medical Errors / Mistakes / Misdiagnosis, Medical Records, Patient Empowerment, Patient Safety, Patient Tools, Self Help

(as published in the Syracuse Post Standard August 30, 2011) A few years ago, I changed primary care doctors. The one I left had good credentials. Over the span of a few years and several visits, she had seemed competent and was friendly. But on my final visit, there had been a change that caused

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July – a Potentially Dangerous Time for Healthcare

2 Comments / Health /Medical Consumerism, Healthcare Quality, Hospitals, Medical and Research Studies, Patient Empowerment, Self Help

(as published in the Syracuse Post Standard July 5, 2011) Seven years ago this week, I found a golf ball sized lump on my torso that changed the course of my life. After its removal, I was diagnosed with a rare, terminal form of lymphoma. Subsequently I determined I didn’t really have lymphoma. That was

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Uh-oh Video! (Can’t escape it…)

1 Comment / Healthcare Quality, Hospitals, Media, Medical and Research Studies, Patient Advocacy, Patient Empowerment, Surgery, You Bet Your Life!

When it comes to TV and video, Al Roker provides one of my favorite quotations: “They say the camera adds 10 pounds. OK. So I figure I must be standing in front of 10 cameras.” Oh, yes, Al. I know how you feel…. However — I’ve decided to come out of my video-avoidance closet to

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Patients Don’t Believe the Evidence! What’s Wrong With Us?

4 Comments / Doctor Communication, Follow the Money, Health /Medical Consumerism, Healthcare Quality, Medical and Research Studies, Patient Advocacy, Patient Empowerment, Patient Safety, Self Help

The journal Health Affairs reports on a study that finds Evidence That Consumers Are Skeptical About Evidence-Based Health Care. According to the abstract, We found many of these consumers’ beliefs, values, and knowledge to be at odds with what policy makers prescribe as evidence-based health care. Few consumers understood terms such as “medical evidence” or

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