tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31006163320149290302011-07-08T00:48:56.815-04:00Beyond a Personal Health RecordOverwhelmed by today's medical system? Can't trust online Personal Health Records - PHRs? Want to be able to take control of your health care? Want peace of mind about decisions made? I'll teach all this & more. It's one thing to collect your medical information, it's another thing to have it available at moments notice and to know how to use it!Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.comBlogger111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-48802864420687642102010-05-31T16:46:00.000-04:002010-05-31T16:46:27.063-04:00Getting Better Health Care – What does it take to be a better patient?Hear my interview with Dr. Steve Feldman by clicking on the link below. Dr. Feldman cares about the quality of your health; he is the founder of www.DrScore.com, an online doctor rating website that doctors nationwide use to get feedback from patients and has authored over 400 peer reviewed medical articles. Much of Dr. Feldman’s work has been compiled for lay people in his book, Compartments: Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-50452291594718813122010-05-29T21:25:00.000-04:002010-05-29T21:25:33.834-04:00New Symptoms: Obtaining a Diagnosis – Part I"Mr. James, I understand you are having problems with your stomach. Tell me what has been going on," Dr. Brown says as he walks in the door.
"Well, I have this pain in my stomach. I'm not sure how to describe it. It started about 2 weeks ago - or was it three or four weeks ago. It comes and goes. I don't know what else I can say," Mr. James replies.
A little exaggerated, but not much - very Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-52443799333690615112010-05-14T22:32:00.000-04:002010-05-14T22:32:02.365-04:00Prevent Hospital Medication Errors"Mr. Corbett, your doctor wants you to take two new antibiotics," the nurse said as she arrived with one pill in hand. Time passed and no more pills arrived. When the nurse came to do a blood pressure check, I asked, "When will he get the second antibiotic?"
"I'll check," she said and left. The same dialog repeated twice. Finally, she returned and told us, "He had the first new antibiotic at 8:00Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-86097477250715678242010-04-18T20:53:00.000-04:002010-04-18T20:53:57.597-04:00Six Steps to Take When Confronting a New Medical ConditionYou are having symptoms you have never had before. You think it might be becoming serious and worry is setting in. You seek help and receive a diagnosis. What does this diagnosis mean for you? What treatment(s) will you receive? How will it affect your life? The questions go on…consciously and sub conscientiously.
Do you leave it up to the doctor to tell you everything he thinks you need to Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-78271740822825842282010-03-19T16:36:00.001-04:002010-03-19T16:37:46.176-04:00Hospital Infections - More Superbugs to Know AboutWe are all familiar with MRSA (Staphlocous), a well-known hospital-acquired infection that is extremely hard to treat. According to a February 26 article in the New York Times, another class of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is causing tens of thousands of deaths each year. Antibiotics to treat them are very old and cause severe kidney damage. In March 2009, I wrote an article about the things Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-63933928597800381812010-02-16T17:26:00.002-05:002010-03-19T17:08:18.709-04:00New Smptoms: Obtaining a Timely Diagnosis"Mr. James, I understand you are having problems with your stomach. Tell me what has been going on," Dr. Brown says as he walks in the door.
"Well, I have this pain in my stomach. I'm not sure how to describe it. It started about 2 weeks ago - or was it three or four weeks ago. It comes and goes. I don't know what else I can say," Mr. James replies.
This may be a little exaggerated, but Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-43496390149381804472010-02-14T17:22:00.002-05:002010-03-19T17:08:59.497-04:00Family Medical History Tree: Six Reasons to Have OneAs medical science continues to discover disease-related genetic links, it is important for you to be armed with your family medical history.
The more complete your personal and family medical history, the more clues you can provide your clinicians as you help them piece your story together to make a diagnosis.
A Medical History Family Tree will assist you and your healthcare team in the Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-19370462976477401972010-02-11T20:45:00.001-05:002010-03-19T17:09:26.825-04:00Use Over-the-Counter Drugs WiselyAccording to the United Health Foundation, 178,000 hospitalizations a year are caused by misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Antacids can neutralize some medications, rendering them inactive. Aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs will prolong bleeding time and can cause internal bleeding or liver damage if taken too long or in quantities larger than recommended on the label.
More and Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-51875458163672059902010-02-07T15:06:00.001-05:002010-03-19T17:09:49.890-04:00Doctor Shortage Coming: Be a "Doctor's Pet"Remember when you were in school and no one liked the teacher's pet. That person was taunted, teased and picked on. You can now be your doctors' pet and not have to worry about peer pressure because in today's health care environment it's a good thing to be.
Time with your doctor is short. It's hard to build a relationship with them. Guess what? That time is likely to only get shorter. Baby Margo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-36468742476923069492010-02-01T21:12:00.001-05:002010-03-19T17:10:10.298-04:00Five Reasons to have an Appointment AdvocateYou aren't seriously ill. Why do you need to take another person / advocate to your appointments? Below are five major reasons and what he or she can do to help you get better care.
1) Research shows you immediately forget one-half of what you are told at doctor appointments. Your advocate can:
a) Take notes for you. It is very difficult to take notes and interact effectively with your doctor atMargo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3100616332014929030.post-69373424046100734352010-01-30T15:49:00.001-05:002010-03-19T17:10:29.971-04:00Be Savvy: The Formula for Health Care SuccessSmart, wise, empowered,and savvy - terms used to describe people who take an active role in their health care.
According to Webster's dictionary, savvy means being well informed, having practical understanding and intelligence in a specific field or subject. A savvy patient or caregiver is a person who:
· Is the leader and coordinator of her healthcare team and a partner with each member of herMargo, Your Savvy Patient Mentorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00374419799158667704noreply@blogger.com0