Saving patients from Internet health information

Some good points about patients relying too much on the internet and not discussing their concerns with their doctor. Internet research is great for knowing more and knowing which questions to ask your doctor, but one will never have the same knowledge and experience as a medical professional.

Saving patients from Internet health information.

A Catholic teachers association looks to ban WiFi. What’s next? Coffee? – The Globe and Mail

Hard not to argue with André Picard’s analysis of what appears to be fear masquerading as evidence. While I am more cautious on cell phones (higher levels, held next to the brain, unless used hands free or with headphones), WiFi is pervasive, including in many homes, and no serious studies to date raising caution.

A Catholic teachers association looks to ban WiFi. What’s next? Coffee? – The Globe and Mail.

iPads and Electronic Medical Records: Are they ready for prime time? – The Buzz Bin

A good short article on some of the challenges in integrated iPads into hospitals, primarily the security and privacy concerns. As normal, the IT shops are in many cases the bottlenecks as users on both sides just want to get on with it.

iPads and Electronic Medical Records: Are they ready for prime time? – The Buzz Bin.

Going Deep into the Science of Improvement

Some examples on how one of the leading cancer centres is improving efficiency of cancer care while maintaining improving or maintaining patient outcomes.

Cancer care – MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Suleika Jaouad: 10 Ways to Help a Friend With Cancer

The second in a series by Suleika Jaouad (the first one was ’10 Things Not to Say to a Cancer Patient’). Good practical advice in both pieces. I would probably emphasize more the need for distraction and humour – life in the cancer bubble is all-consuming enough. Worth reading. Her list of 10:

1. Say “I don’t know what to say” – A cancer diagnosis can paralyze the lines of communication between friends. Some people freeze up and don’t say anything at all, while others dwell on finding the “perfect” words. If you’re at a loss for words, say so. If you have a lot to say but don’t know where to start, say that, too. Honesty rules. I’ve never felt offended by someone who doesn’t know what to say, but I’ve felt hurt by those who don’t call or write at all. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

1. Be an equal opportunity listener – Cancer is a gloomy subject — there’s no pretending otherwise. While your instinct can be to immediately steer the conversation toward the cheerful, it’s vital for a cancer patient to feel comfortable venting feelings of fear, sadness, anger, loss, and isolation. One of the most important things you can do as a friend is to make it clear that you are willing to listen to both the good and the bad.

1. Assess the specifics – Cancer patients are often too tired or too polite to respond to the broad question of “How can I help?” Take the lead and ask specific questions. Without being pushy, you’ll find areas where you can step in: Who is going to look after them during the day? Can they prepare their own meals? What about transportation? Are there other people close to the person with cancer who also need support?

1. Do what you do best – Do what comes from the heart and follow through. Please remember that the patient doesn’t expect you to compose a song if you don’t play an instrument. Lending a hand is easier when you play your strengths. If you love to cook, drop off a homemade dish; if you’re an artist, make something to hang on the hospital room wall; and if you’re an organizer, offer to gather research or to take notes during medical appointments.

1. Take care of yourself – You hear it a lot: Caregivers must take good care of themselves, too. No matter how upset or stressed out you are about your friend’s illness, it is critical to be selfish about your own health. Nutrition is important, especially because bad “comfort foods” beckon in times of stress. Regular exercise, even walking, is crucial for the body as well as the mind: Some of the best thinking happens when your body is in motion. Perhaps most important of all is getting enough sleep. Love does, in fact, have boundaries. You must take care of yourself to be the best ally to your friend.

1. “No need to write me back” – Since my diagnosis, I’ve been showered with the warmth of letters, emails and cards of support. These messages, filled with love and positive energy, are my daily reminders that I’m not alone in this struggle. But finding the energy to write back can feel like a herculean task. You may be able to dissolve any potential stress for the patient by reminding him or her that there’s no need to respond or write a thank-you note.

1. Distraction is a godsend – While you should be careful joking about cancer (everybody’s sensitivity differs), some juicy gossip, a funny joke, or a good movie can go a long way in lifting someone’s spirits. Humor may feel out-of-place next to IV bags and bedpans, but it can be an essential counterweight to the gravity and absurdity of cancer. Don’t feel like you can’t be the bearer of good news. Bring magazines, music, stories and sunshine.

1. Get involved in the cause – As someone who will be receiving a bone marrow transplant this spring, I am deeply moved by my friends who have signed up to become bone marrow donors or taken time to learn about my disease. Join the bone marrow registry, give blood, organize a fundraiser, or donate a sum (however small) to cancer research or an organization of your choice. It’s a gesture acknowledging that cancer affects communities of strangers as well as the people you know.

1. “It’s time for me to go” – Long visits don’t necessarily mean better ones. Visits needn’t be rushed, but please keep in mind that the sick person doesn’t have the same energy level as you do. Be attentive to signs that the patient needs to rest.

1. “I love you” – If there’s ever a time to tell a friend or family member how much you care about them, this is it.

 Suleika Jaouad: 10 Ways to Help a Friend With Cancer.

How Men Deal with Cancer – Forbes

Some good testimonies, showing the various approaches that some men have regarding their cancer journey, ranging from thoughtful to ‘macho’ posturing. Whatever works. Worth reading.

How Men Deal with Cancer – Forbes.

How to get ready for death

I hope these postings do not seem morbid or give the impression that this is where my thoughts are.

However, while I am focused on life, cancer does force one to be mindful if things don’t work out. This is one of the more comprehensive and yet simple lists that I have seen.

I tend to be less in favour of ‘bucket lists’ than the author, given that the focus should be more on relationships rather than activities (or these activities should be to build stories and memories with people close to one). And the point on prayer could be broadened to include other forms of collecting oneself, being there, and reflection – whatever works best for the person.

I think the key point is the need to think it through while living, be aware of how precious one’s health and life is, and try to structure one’s life around what is most important. While some things are preventable, other illnesses or accidents are not, so ‘starting early’ is sensible.

Perhaps the most important are the key points for family, friends and other close ones:

• Please forgive me.
• I forgive you.
• Thank you.
• I love you.

How to get ready for death.

The Religious Exemption to Mandated Insurance Coverage of Contraception – Virtual Mentor

One of the better and more comprehensive analysis of the religious exemption issue, focussing on the individual, not the institutions, particularly when the instituions are not serving religious functions per se and are serving and employ members of the general public.

Of course, watching the Republican debate last night, I thought Ron Paul got the best line in when he noted the contrast (polite term) between positions on birth control and gun control, but it is striking that no one else expressed concern or respect for the freedom of conscious and religion for the individual.

The Religious Exemption to Mandated Insurance Coverage of Contraception, Feb 12 … Virtual Mentor.

Cancer ‘will never be eliminated’ – The Independent

Short, sobering and realistic in contrast to some of the ‘rah rah’ war on cancer rhetoric (or even worse, ‘we will beat cancer on my watch or I have failed’). Does not mean that future advances will not be impressive and help many people, but cancers are complex and varied, and a dose of realism is helpful if not cheery. Full article below:

There will never be a single cure for cancer and although its incidence will gradually diminish over the next 50 years, it will never be entirely eliminated, according to Britain’s top scientist.

Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, said that scientific advances have helped to understand the fundamental mechanisms that turn a cell cancerous but because cancer is so many different diseases, a universal cure is not possible.

“There’s never going to be a cure for cancer because cancer is a generic term to describe a set of widely differing diseases, with widely differing causes, that happen where cells divide out of control. And most of the time, cancer is a disease of old age,” Sir Paul said in the Radio Times.

“We have repair systems working to repair all cell damage but over time, those damaged cells will ‘escape’,” he said. “Now this knowledge is fantastic … It means we’re in a position where we could create drugs that will be more specific for a particular cancer. My view is that over decades – it could be 50 years – the incidence of cancers will gradually come down. It’s never going to be zero.”

Cancer ‘will never be eliminated’ – Science – News – The Independent.

If we just didn’t care about our life stories, it would be much easier to make health policy

While somewhat meandering and rambling, it ends up in the right place on end of life decisions, noting that it is the life stories that we create while we are alive that continue.

The article could be more explicit on the need to have end of life discussions with those closest to one to help guide them through what will be a difficult, because emotionally loaded, discussions with the medical team.

If we just didn’t care about our life stories, it would be much easier to make health policy | The Incidental Economist.