By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA I was honored to speak to an amazing group of physicians, nurses and health workers from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene- Bureau of Tuberculosis Control–2010 Tuberculosis, on Tuesday. The topic, “Patient Empowerment: Engaging Our Patients to Take Charge of Their Health.” Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you. It is evident that from talking with these passionate health care professionals, who work…
Read More...Patient Engagement: Health IT, What Microsoft Health Users Group Exchange Means for you
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA How important is Health IT to you and should you care? At the Microsoft Health Users Group Exchange this month at the Microsoft Corporate Campus in Redmond, WA, patient engagement was the overall theme. Whether presenters were talking about “Cloud Computing,” “Care Coordination,” or “Population Health Management,” empowering the patient was the paradigm. “At the end of the day, we’re all patients,” Bill Crounse, MD, keynote speaker and Senior…
Read More...Nutritional Supplements: Do You Really Need Them?
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…
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