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Planning for the future: There’s no time like the present
Carina Oltmann Medical & Allied HealthcareThe holidays are upon us. There are gifts to purchase and wrap, parties to plan, potluck dishes to prepare and lights to string. Inevitably, many of us will share in some festivities with our close family members. For those of us who work in healthcare, we know that the gifts of good health and time shared with loved ones are precious. What we may not think about is that these hours or days together are an opportune time to take care of a very important matter: Planning for the future and establishing advance directives.
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Your brain on the holidays
Catherine Iste Mental HealthcareOne of my sisters recently noted she was about to complete a knitting class. In the midst of the hubbub of Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping and several birthday celebrations, she had committed to a multiple-session class to learn how to knit. While I assumed that would have increased her stress levels, instead she said it reduced them because it forced her to sit still each class, concentrate on something completely new to her and best of all, would result in the creation of several gifts. Research by a few professors at Harvard confirms her claims.
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2020 is the Year of the Nurse: Is your organization preparing?
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareOn Jan. 30, 2019, the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared 2020 "The Year of the Nurse and Midwife (YONM)" in commemoration of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. In terms of healthcare organizations employing nurses, the opportunity exists for nurses to be rightfully honored for their place in the global health delivery system, and for their employers to create a new vision of what nurses can accomplish in the 21st century.
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Why you need to know about telomeres
Victoria Fann Medical & Allied HealthcareMany of us know that long-term stress can affect our health, but did you know that it can also impact aging and longevity? Welcome to the world of telomeres. I first learned about telomeres in 2016, when I worked for a human potential physician that specialized in optimizing health through lifestyle changes. He was one of the first physicians in the country that built his practice around the awareness that lifestyle and behaviors impact one’s genetics.
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Study review: Depressed physicians more likely to commit medical errors
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareA physician who is depressed is more likely to commit medical errors: This is the primary finding from a review of studies — 11 prior studies that included more than 21,000 physicians — published in JAMA Network Open. Per the findings, physicians with a positive screening for depression were very likely to report medical errors. Further examination found that the association between depressive symptoms in physicians and medical errors is bidirectional.
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Freestanding emergency departments bring speedier care but higher spending
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareFSEDs deliver emergency care in strip malls and in other facilities that are physically separate from acute care hospitals. Freestanding EDs first emerged in the 1970s to fill the need for emergency care in underserved rural areas that could not financially sustain inpatient hospitals, but FSEDs are now popping up primarily in urban and suburban areas. A team of researchers at Rice University investigated the relationship between the number of freestanding emergency departments (FSEDs) and local market spending on emergency care.
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How to improve your oncology patients’ treatment plans
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareCancer patients being treated at your facility face myriad difficulties, including physical challenges, treatment side effects and emotional stress. As a healthcare professional, you know this well, and are no doubt seeking to make a hospital stay as beneficial as possible for these patients. The good news is that you can make proactive management decisions that will truly benefit your oncology patients by following this easy but powerful advice.
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The benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy in the palliative setting
Carina Oltmann Medical & Allied HealthcareAdvanced stages of diseases such as cancer, COPD, end-stage renal disease and heart failure can lead to a constellation of physical and psychosocial distress. Symptoms such as fatigue, poor sleep and appetite, dyspnea, nausea and pain impact quality of life and can cause significant suffering. Often, these symptoms are intertwined with intense feelings of sadness, anxiety or depression. For those involved in the care of these individuals, the goal is to alleviate physical and emotional suffering as much as possible with the purpose of improving quality of life and optimizing well-being.
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Holiday stress: The secret cost of the season
Terri Williams Mental HealthcareIt's the most wonderful time of the year, but apparently, it's also the most stressful. Some of that stress is related to holiday expenses, but it's also a result of trying to make everything perfect. Roughly half of the respondents in recent survey by Yelp say holidays are the single most stressful time of the year. Whether hosting a dinner, a party, or having guests spend the night, respondents are anxious because they don’t have time to clean in advance, worried that they don’t have enough time to prepare everything, concerned about preparing the actual holiday meals, and not looking forward to cleaning up later.
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Give the healthcare gift that keeps on giving this Christmas: Concierge…
Amanda Ghosh Medical & Allied HealthcareConcierge medicine is on the rise. The number of concierge practices has risen each year by about 3 to 6%. Patients who can afford the fees associated with this practice model benefit from more access to their physician and additional opportunities to focus on preventative health. If you or a loved one is looking for a doctor that acts more like a "health coach" with a medical degree, then concierge medicine is a terrific Christmas gift this year.
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