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How empathy training for your doctors will benefit your patients
Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare AdministrationCompassion is a key quality that every physician should demonstrate — and when they don't, patients notice. Research from Massachusetts General Hospital found that patients who have a good relationship with their doctor can benefit as much as they would from taking a daily aspirin to prevent a cardiac event. What's more, research from the Loyola University Health System found that residents who scored high on emotional intelligence and empathy also demonstrated better impulse control and more social responsibility — making for safer and more humane care as a whole.
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Adaptogens: Plants that combat stress
Heather Linderfelt PharmaceuticalIn an age where Western healthcare costs are rising — and drug resistance is a serious problem, more people turning to natural remedies to aid in their health. For thousands of years, people have used certain plants to combat illnesses and stress as a part of their traditional medicines. These include adaptogens, a class of plants that have amazing abilities to adapt to tough conditions and stresses in the environment; they can also help human bodies adapt to certain stressors in the body, leading to more robust health. Adaptogens support the entire endocrine system, especially the adrenal functions of the body.
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Study: Mobile health apps used by millions but effectiveness is lacking
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareThere's an app for seemingly everything to help us live better healthier lives, but it seems the outcomes of these apps show little evidence of positive prognoses. Perhaps the best way to describe these digital health tools is that they have a big hat but no cattle. According to a study published by Health Affairs, even though the developers of the technologies study their effectiveness, these studies "rarely used randomized controlled trials, depended on small study populations and generally focused on healthier individuals."
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Government shutdown could exacerbate a dangerous winter for those in need
Michelle R. Matisons Civil & GovernmentThe need to remain warm in winter is so patently obvious that we almost forget about it as we put on extra layers, go outside early to prepare the car, and center plans around the warmest times of day. Survival for many in winter is already hampered by freezing temperatures, snow, and ice. A number of additional obstacles, ranging from homelessness, poverty, and the government shutdown, undermine people’s basic efforts to stay warm and alive in a season not even halfway over yet.
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Exploring racial disparities for Alzheimer’s, glaucoma
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareOver 15 years ago, one of the nation’s foremost glaucoma specialists provocatively asked in a review paper, "Glaucoma: Ocular Alzheimer's disease?" Animal studies have shown a high rate of the amyloid precursor molecules, which are attributed to Alzheimer’s disease, to also be a factor in induced glaucoma. A recently published research study adds yet another common element for the two diseases. The report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that there were racial differences in the cerebrospinal fluid concentration of tau protein between African-American and white individuals.
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Preparing for medical emergencies while RVing
Connie Ulman Recreation & LeisureSadly, many of us have experienced a medical emergency on the road. Here are some helpful tips to help you prepare for the unexpected when on the road. First and foremost, you should always carry a first aid kit with you in your RV. Also, know the location and do your research. Where is the closest hospital? Most of us have GPS nowadays, so locating the closest hospital is easy. If not, then be sure to ask the staff when you check in at the campground. Many times, the campground has maps of the area.
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New study: Opioids not the best choice for alleviating chronic noncancer…
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareOpioids are invaluable for treating chronic cancer pain, post-surgical pain and severe acute pain, but the results of a new study suggest that opioids may not be as good at reducing chronic noncancer pain. The dangers of opioid overprescribing are increasingly evident, as is the need to gain greater understanding of when opioids are likely to be effective. In short, research found that opioids provided small improvements in pain, sleep quality and physical functioning compared to a placebo, but the differences between the two pain relievers did not meet minimally important difference standards.
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New ways to help your physicians deal with pharma marketing
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareIn healthcare, you know that drug companies are going to target your organization's doctors no matter what. But are you as fully engaged as you should be in terms of helping your doctors avoid troubling incentives? Use the following research-driven advice to guide your doctors in their dealings with pharma marketers — it's crucial for upholding their integrity as well as the overall integrity of your organization.
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Women in healthcare underrepresented in leadership roles, earn less than…
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationA new report by Oliver Wyman says that women may take three to five years longer than men to reach CEO-level positions across different types of industries despite their making up to 80 percent of buying and usage decisions in healthcare. For healthcare specifically, women are absent from the C-suite, making up only about 30 percent of senior leadership and just 13 percent of CEOs. These meager numbers don’t match the number of women in the workforce, however, who represent as much as 65 percent of it.
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Virtual reality: From the OR to the bedside
Christina Thielst Medical & Allied HealthcareIncreasingly, healthcare professionals and consumers are digital natives, meaning they have lived their entire lives with technology. Their worldview is a bit different than those of us who are digital immigrants. One of the latest and most promising applications in digital health is virtual reality. Researchers began using virtual reality in healthcare environments in the 1990s and applications have become more sophisticated over time, especially as today’s digital natives increasingly envision the possibilities.
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