Empathy in Health Care

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA TED speaker Rebecca Saxe inspired this post. “The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.” These are heartfelt words by award-winning actress Meryl Streep. Do we all have the power of empathy? Are we hardwired to know what other people want? Is it easy to think about other people’s thoughts? Rebecca Saxe’s enlightening TEDTalk “How To Read Each Other’s Minds” asks: “Why is…

Read More...

Updated: Mobile Health-The Kaiser Way-An Interview with Bernard J. Tyson

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA A Go-To Health Care System for Innovation and Digital Technology “It’s something our members wanted, they have it and they love it,” said Kaiser Permanente’s Incoming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bernard J. Tyson, in a recent telephone interview. The “it” Mr. Tyson is referring to is the digital technology that allows Kaiser Permanente members to email their physicians. To date, there are “14 million e-visits,” he said, and…

Read More...

Mobile Health-The Kaiser Way-An Interview with Bernard Tyson

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA A Candid Interview with Bernard Tyson “It’s something our members wanted, they have it and they love it,” said Kaiser Permanente’s President and CEO Bernard J. Tyson, in a recent telephone interview. The “it” Mr. Tyson is referring to is the digital technology that allows Kaiser Permanente members to email their physicians. To date, there are “14 million e-visits,” he said, and members gain access via a free Smartphone…

Read More...

Delirium? Now what?

By Derek S. Mongold, MD My father is in the hospital and they say that he has delirium. What exactly is delirium? Delirium is a state of severe confusion that is usually brought on by a medical condition. It’s thought to be due to the brain producing too much dopamine and to little acetylcholine. Dopamine and acetylcholine are neurotransmitters (chemicals) that neurons (the main cells of the brain) use to communicate with each other. Nobody…

Read More...

Part 3 – TEDMED Great Challenges: Improving Medical Communication-Sound Bites for Twitter

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Part three of a three-part series on Healthin30 TEDMED Great Challenges: Improving Medical Communication This post on Healthin30 is part three of the three-part series on the TEDMED Great Challenges:  Improving Medical Communication with Joseph Kvedar, MD and Robert Arnold, MD. The TEDMED Great Challenges Team in Medical Communication recently gathered together on Google Plus Live Hangout to talk about how to improve medical communication in the health care…

Read More...