Do your patients share ...

Did you know that up to 20% to 25% of patients, of all ages, admit to borrowing or sharing prescription medication? Ellis and Mullan (2009) discussed medication sharing in recent study of data from Australia and the United States. They found the drugs most likely to be shared were...

Stay ahead of your pati...

Do patients come to you with the latest research in hand, asking you for specific diagnostic tests or treatments? Do you wish you heard about these things before they did? How do you provide patient education when they know more than you? Would you like to be better prepared, but...

It’s not just patient...

A study from the University of California looked at the influence of diet family support on glucose outcome in Korean immigrants with type 2 diabetes. They checked participants’ A1C (glycosylated hemoglobin), body mass index, and waist-to-hip ratio. The study participants...

Measuring Health Litera...

Personally, I don’t believe it is necessary to test a patient’s literacy level. If you individualize teaching to the learner, you are constantly evaluating understanding and modifying your teaching so it is understood. However, I know there are still a lot of health care providers...

Could you follow the ad...

Second year medical students at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine got an interesting assignment: For five days eat a healthy diet spending only as much as a food stamp recipient would get, about $16.97. Yes, $16.97 for five days. About $1 per meal. If you were in this position,...

Increase Effectiveness ...

Research shows over and over again that patient education is most effective when it is individualized to the needs of the learner. When preparing an educational program, it is important to determine what you want to achieve and who you are trying to reach. A focus group is one of...

Do you assume your pati...

A recent Internet survey of 502 adults in the US found that more than half the respondents intentionally skipped insulin occasionally, and 20% did not take their insulin regularly. Others may take their insulin, but in a dose smaller than needed for optimal glucose control. The study...

Psychoeducation is cost...

One intervention available in the treatment of mental illness is psychoeducation – teaching patients and families about causes, signs and symptoms, treatments, when to get help, and who to call. Psychoeducation is often offered in multifamily groups, to help families recognize...

The Key to a Sustainabl...

Sustainability. We’re hearing a lot of buzz about sustainability these days. Sustainability can be defined as a system that can maintain itself with minimal use of resources. This can relate to health care on many levels, including: — Health promotion through primary prevention. —...

Improving self-administ...

When was the last time you took care of a patient who was sick primarily because of an error in self-administration of medication?  Too much warfarin.  Too little antibiotic.  It happens all the time. Many people don’t take medicines correctly, for a variety of reasons.  Doses...

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