I know I have been there. Chances are you’ve been there too. That place where you are so tired you literally cannot think straight. You’ve been up with a baby or a sick child. Perhaps a work or school deadline has kept you awake most of the night for days on end. Mind-numbing sleepless nights […]
Are Clinical Trials Safe?
With COVID-19 infecting millions and killing hundreds of thousands, we’ve all heard news stories about clinical trials for medications to help those suffering from this horrible disease. Of course, clinical trials have been an important method for testing potential treatments for a long time. If you have a disease with no known cure, or conventional […]
Is Your Hospital Safe?
Is your hospital safe? When we go to a hospital, we expect to leave in better condition than when we entered. But that is not always the case. Unfortunately, patients can become sicker, and even die, from dangerous mistakes and failures. Of course, everyone, including medical providers, makes mistakes. And equipment and processes fail. But […]
How Can a Medical Social Worker Help You?
When you’re dealing with a serious illness or injury, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and stressed. Whether you or your loved one is receiving care in the hospital or at a doctor’s office, it can feel hard to know what to do at every step of the way. For example, you might not know what […]
ICU Staffing Issues
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us all the extraordinary, exhausting work performed by intensive care unit (ICU) doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals as they try to save extremely ill patients. However, as hard as these dedicated professionals work, staffing issues can put patients at risk. In fact, even before the pandemic, many patients in […]
Can you Trust Medical Information on Facebook?
As the world struggles to contain COVID-19, people turn to websites, Facebook and other social network sites to learn about the virus, how it spreads and how they can protect themselves. But even before COVID-19, billions used the internet for medical information. Unfortunately, there is a lot of health misinformation available on your computer, and […]
The Dangers of Medical Record Errors & Uncoordinated Care
September 17, 2020 is World Patient Safety Day – the perfect time to learn how you can reduce your risk of harm from medical errors. What can you do? Be involved in your care – at every step. Engaged patients can reduce their risk of medical errors and other safety hazards while giving themselves the […]
What are the Dangers of Robotic-Assisted Surgery?
It’s easy to imagine robots performing surgery on patients in the 1960s TV shows The Jetsons or Star Trek. But what if your surgeon wants to use a robot during your surgery? Do you know about the potential dangers of robotic-assisted surgery? In many ways, this is the wild, wild west of medicine. Although some […]
How Common are Patient Identification Errors?
Needless to say, it would be upsetting if you were given the wrong medication because a nurse confused you with another patient. Furthermore, what if a surgeon performed a procedure on you that was meant for another patient? These types of errors are the reason health care providers check your wristband and ask for you […]
Why are Doctor-Patient Relationships Vital?
Nobody likes everyone they meet. Sometimes we judge others based on their behavior, and other times we judge based on the way people look, their job, or their background. What if turns out that your doctor doesn’t like you? Or your doctor is biased against you because of your weight or intelligence? Your relationships with […]