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Roberta's Blog

• Roberta’s Blog

  Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up!

  May 8, 2012

  A recent study found that many people are afraid to speak up during a doctor’s visit for fear of being labeled “difficult”.  While no one wants to have a bad relationship with their doctors, it is important that every person takes an active role in their medical care. The 48 highly educated, well-to-do people in the study reported they held back from questioning or challenging their doctors because they were worried about being seen as “difficult” and thereby having a damaged relationship which could possibly lead to inferior care. This reluctance to speak up can be a problem because being passive in the patient-doctor relationship can lead to poorer health outcomes. What can you do? Roberta Carson suggests the following: Maintain a friendly, non-combative tone when speaking with your doctors Be prepared for appointments with your questions, concerns and symptoms more »

  Category: Communicating with Your Healthcare Team

  Don’t Flush Your Medications!

  April 16, 2012

  It happens to all of us – years pass by as you accumulate partially used bottles of medicine – prescription and over-the-counter (OTC).  How should you dispose of these medicines properly? Resist the urge to flush these medications down the toilet.  According to Dispose My Meds, over 100 pharmaceuticals have been detected in lakes, rivers and other bodies of water.  These traces of medications can affect our health. However, throwing them in the trash can be unsafe as well, particularly if the home has  young children and/or pets who could accidentally ingest the medications.  Dispose My Meds reports that each year, over 71,000 children under the age of 18 are admitted to Emergency Departments due to accidental overdoses of medications (prescription and OTC). What to do? For non-narcotics, you can wrap the medications in coffee grounds and seal them in more »

  Category: Medications

  New Medicare Tool for Comparing Hospital Infection Rates

  March 14, 2012

  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has opened up data on hospital acquired blood infections on it’s Hospital Compare website. Why is this important?  Bloodstream infections associated with central lines lead to 100,000 deaths per year. Learning which hospitals have high rates can help you select a hospital.  Although there is no guarantee of avoiding these infections at any hospital, even those with good scores, understanding your options is important. To evaluate hospitals, visit their website.  

  Category: Hospital Issues