The medical record mistakes jumped out at me through the patient portal. One painted me as an antibiotic seeker, despite my caution about taking drugs. That stung, because my mother suffered from infections that defied treatment, the result of overzealous antibiotic prescribing. As for me, one antibiotic left me bedridden for days; another sparked an allergic rash. Now, my doctor’s words threatened to bias my future treatment and risk my health…. Read More→
Patient-Centered Care Meeting Spreads Planetree Vision
What its organizers deem the oldest international conference on patient-centered care seemed an unlikely mix: part pep rally, classroom, scientific forum, and group hug. In its 23rd year, Planetree’s International Conference on Patient-Centered Care drew about 800 people from 21 countries. Attending as a reporter, I met health-care professionals, executives, and others eager to learn… Read More→
People Who Stutter Speak Out About Health Care
Many of us have trouble talking to doctors, but added barriers stymie people who stutter. Last year, Dr. Leana Wen recalled how a senior resident belittled a stuttering patient in the emergency department; he had assumed that the patient, a lawyer, was stupid. Such attitudes led Hector Perez, M.D., to study the health-care experiences of… Read More→
Review of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Atul Gawande’s newest book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, says a lot that matters. As a surgeon, writer, and son, he has seen older people and terminally ill patients suffer from health care designed to keep them safe and alive longer. Even if aggressive treatment prolongs life, it may spoil their… Read More→
Medical Scribes: A Reality Check
In this age of electronic medical records, health-care professionals in an emergency department clicked 6 times, on average, to order one aspirin. Viewing an old test result took 11 clicks; documenting a physical exam for back pain, 47. Tired of having to work long hours to finish digital charting, some health-care providers have turned to… Read More→
Patients’ Responsibilities Seem Half-Baked
You see them on hospital walls and hospital websites. Perhaps you even saw one in a patient admission packet if you or someone close to you had a hospital stay. I’m referring to the statements of patients’ rights and responsibilities issued by hospitals throughout the United States and beyond. The very notion of patients’ rights… Read More→
Idea to Spur Colonoscopy Use Fails Test
Having to opt out to stop receiving sales pitches that I never requested annoys me. Now, some health-care leaders want to use opt-out requirements to improve patients’ decision-making and adherence to medical advice. Instead of making patients who want certain health services to opt in by seeking them, the usual approach in health care, they… Read More→
Most Surgeons Want Shared Decision-Making
This might surprise some patients, but a recent study found that most surgeons prefer to team up with patients to make treatment choices. Yet, surgeons tend to decide themselves instead. The study unearthed some clues as to why they do so and where to intervene to foster shared decision-making. Almost 300 surgeons from 60 countries… Read More→
Doc, Can I Ask You a Question?
Patients seeking answers to their health questions online might instead find more questions. I mean that literally: Organizations and pundits have posted lists of questions that they think patients should ask doctors. As near as I can tell, they’ve done so to aid doctor-patient communication, improve health care, keep patients safe, and help patients get… Read More→
Patient-Centered Care? Well, It Depends
A funny thing happened when I wrote my last post for White Coats, Paper Gowns: I became inspired by some of the very advice that I was criticizing. After reading hundreds of tips designed to help patients become empowered, I took charge of my own health care. I’d been seeing a doctor for tendinitis… Read More→