By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA From KevinMD’s medical blog, guest post by Toni Brayer, MD shares a story where a team approach in medicine is critical for quality patient care. Dr. Bryer writes: “Medicine is a team sport and it is only when the team is humming and everyone is working together that patients can have good outcomes. Hospital errors, medication errors, poor communication between doctors and nurses are prevented by adherence to protocols…
Read More...Social Media and Online Health Sites Begins the Conversation with Doctors and Nurses
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA My post on KevinMD, “Social media starts the patient dialogue with doctors and nurses” talks about the importance of gathering health information online to get the conversation started with doctors and nurses. A patient apologized to me for asking so many questions. There is no need to apologize, I said to the patient; it’s wonderful that you have so many questions concerning your health care. I mentioned to her…
Read More...Bruce Dan, MD Cancer Blog – 4 Tips to Help Whip Doctors and Nurses into Shape
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Part II In Part I of my blog, “Bruce Dan, MD Blogs About His Cancer Treatment”, and I highlighted areas where Dr. Dan shows humor, strength and resolve. Part II addresses issues that Dr. Dan observes firsthand that affect patient care. Dr. Dan offers his observations and I offer some simple tips to help improve patient care. Dr. Dan is now the “e-Patient” – an empowered and engaged patient…
Read More...Smoke-Free Hospitals and Patients
By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Nurses and doctors and other members of the health care team strive every day to provide quality patient care. We focus on patients by understanding their needs. We listen, assess and evaluate. We work together as a team focusing not only on the patient, but family members as well. We formulate individual care plans addressing each and every need. Providing quality patient care is the single most important goal…
Read More...How the Nursing Shortage Affects YOU
Tips on how to help yourself, and our hardworking nurses Guest Post by Deborah O’Leary As the health care reform debate ebbs and flows, and then ebbs some more, you may not be thinking very much about the nursing shortage, and how it could possibly affect you. In fact, in the current economic climate, when unemployment seems high and many hospitals seem to actually to be cutting back, you may not have realized that there…
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