Guest post submitted by MD Anderson Cancer Center Aisles in grocery stores and pharmacies are stacked with vitamins, minerals, herbs or other plants that you take in pill, capsule, tablet or liquid form. And, many of us buy these supplements and take them regularly, hoping to lower our chances of getting cancer and other diseases. But do supplements really work wonders? Should you take them to help prevent cancer? Our experts say beware. “Don’t be…
Read More...Friends Put a New Spin on Technology
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Turning to friends for online information is the hot topic within the Web world, and in Monday’s New York Times Technology and Business section, Jenna Wortham writes about how “Search Takes a Social Turn.” Online sites are taking notice of what people like. Web companies are trying to make searching online for information more useful by tapping into the inner thoughts of what people like. “After a decade when…
Read More...Empowered Patient: Bring a Family Member or Friend with you to Your Doctor’s Appointment
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Should you bring a family member or friend with you when a patient has a doctor’s appointment? That is a question explored on a recent post on KevinMD by guest blogger, Diana E. Lee, a chronic migraine patient who blogs at Somebody Heal Me. “Most of the resources I’ve read about how to prepare for a doctor’s appointment recommend bringing a loved one with you so that person can…
Read More...Doctor-Nurse Relationship: How to Energize and Engage the Doctor and Nurse Team
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Some patients struggle to communicate effectively with their doctors and some doctors and nurses find it difficult to communicate and collaborate with each other. Historically, the dynamic symbiotic relationship between doctors and nurses has been a little shaky, evidenced by the lack of engagement and respect for one another. Hospitals are chaotic and stressful. Working in such an environment can lead to frustration and it can take a toll…
Read More...Doctor-Patient Relationship: How Patients Can Help Enhance Communication
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA From Kevin Pho’s medical blog, KevinMD, a post archived from 2004, Pho talks about the struggles of communication between doctor and patient during the 15 minute office visit. Pho sites a NY Times article that explains that more than two decades ago, research shows that patients were interrupted 18 seconds into explaining their problem (on average) and less than 2 percent got to finish their explanations. Pho sites that…
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