With the first month of the New Year nearly behind us, and new transparency regulations becoming law, Healthcare faces increasing challenges when it comes to consumerism. Using such a framework is appropriate as the persons to whom we provide services of our “goods” do “consume” them; however, compared to consumers of other types of products it is not… Read More »
Last week I shared a post, Understanding and Instilling Trust in Our Patients, today’s post takes a deeper look at how to build that trust between patient and clinician. As we continue to focus on building patient trust, it’s necessary to recognize that one’s own characteristics play a critical role. For those times that we are dealing with… Read More »
Periodically, there are discussions regarding the critical component of trust in healthcare. Currently, the present pandemic is a prime example of the issue. Some, we observe, inherently trust science; others prefer the approach, I need to distrust you until you prove to me you are trustworthy. A third category proclaims I trust you; however, I must verify the… Read More »
FROM THE ARCHIVES! I will be re-posting some previous posts from this year that I think are appropriate to share once again. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing some previous posts that are relevant to the uncertain healthcare climate we are navigating right now… Read More »
As we age, cognitive impairment becomes more likely. Simultaneously, our natural living conditions increase isolation and distance from support networks, including mitigating treatments that can negatively impact mental stability. Unless we deliberately and diligently assess those we serve, we have no awareness of such needs. Although cognitive decline tends to occur insidiously, repetitive assessments are still necessary. With… Read More »
One of our shortcomings as health care professionals is our acceptance of evidence-based medicine, especially when the data proves that abandoning practices is required. And despite robust, research cataloging practices, that add little value, such activities remain widespread at a considerable cost and increasing the likelihood to harm. As professionals, the question remains, “Why are we so slow… Read More »
As we continue to improve and enhance our ability to foster shared decision making, the language we utilize to discuss treatments becomes important. Presently, we use the terms “risks” and benefits” in our conversations. However, risks are often unknown, and the benefits seem to be a given. And in actuality, neither statement is valid. When communicating risks, it… Read More »
Recently, there is a tremendous amount of focus on the value of social interventions and healthcare costs. To be of optimal help to the greater society, it is important for us to thoroughly understand how to investigate the value of such interventions. In the journal, Health Affairs, a recent study by Kangovi et al. investigates the return on… Read More »
A commonly held premise of shared decision-making is that the healthcare profession neither adequately gives specific treatment options nor discusses the trade-offs of surgical intervention. Predominantly, the thought is that if more in-depth conversations were to occur concerning the trade-offs, and there is more appropriate management of expectations, the chosen solution would be the more conservative approach. With… Read More »
There is a tremendous amount of focus on the value of social interventions like housing and food stability, on the cost of healthcare. For the benefit of all, we must learn how to investigate the value of these interventions. A recent study in Health Affairs by Kangovi et al. examines the return on investment for an evidenced-based community… Read More »