After 40 Years, Patients Still Crave Attention and Respect

Guest Blog | Barbara Ficarra September 13, 2009 | Patient Advocacy The Doctor/Patient Relationship What do patients want? Despite the technological promises of the Health 2.0 movement, in some ways it’s really no different today than it was forty years ago. An article that appeared in Time Magazine on May 13, 1966 says: “Today, Americans […]

Don’t go to the Hospital Without these Ten Safety Tips

A trusted family member or friend should be your advocate Heading to the hospital? Don’t go alone. Knowing exactly what’s going on with your care is critical. Medical mistakes unfortunately do happen in hospitals and shockingly, it is reported that 238,337 patients died from potentially preventable medical errors during 2004 through 2006, according to HealthGrades’ […]

Leaving the Emergency Room

It’s great to be discharged, but be sure to follow instructions! Have you ever been a patient in an emergency department? If your visit to the ED didn’t require an admission, that’s good news. After being told by the ED doctor that you could go home and armed you with discharge instructions, you most likely […]

Nurses and Doctors Together for the Good of the Patients

It’s a very good thing… What were the biggest challenges you faced as a patient in the hospital? If you could change anything about your hospital experience what would it be? Were there enough nurses and doctors on staff to care for you especially at night and on weekends? Was there a team effort between […]

Medical Communicators Take Center Stage

AMA conference helps medical experts learn to communicate vital health information In my most recent blog, “Trusting the Experts for Accurate Health Information,” April 1, 2008, I suggested that the media needs to be responsible for providing accurate, reliable health information to the public. From that blog: “Not only is it the responsibility of the […]

Trusting the Experts for Accurate Health Information

Have we educated the public to recognize heart attack symptoms? Hollywood is hot for drama, and when it comes to portraying a person having a heart attack it can be misleading. Gasping, struggling for a breath, holding the chest as if it is about to explode or clenching an arm tightly all make for great […]

Medical Mall Madness?

Be careful about having procedures done while out shopping Before heading out to the mall you may want to do a little research first. Who knows, you may end up coming home with not only new designer shoes and the hottest dress but — oh, yeah — a plumper face and smoother thighs as a […]

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