A unique insider's view of today's complex and often contentious world of medicine Anxious about the prognosis, lost in a blur of technical jargon, and fatigued from worry or pain, people who are ill are easily overwhelmed by treatment choices. Told through eight gripping clinical dramas, Second Opinions reveals the forces at play in making critical medical decisions. Dr. Jerome Groopman illuminates the world of medicine where knowledge is imperfect, no therapy is without risks, and no outcome is fully predictable. He portrays moments of astute diagnosis and misguided perception, of lifesaving triumphs and shattering failures. These real-life lessons prepare us to navigate the uncertain terrain of illness, and enable us to balance intuition and information, and thereby make the best possible decisions about our health and future.
Most people would agree that we aren't taught much about 'wellness.' And while there seems to be an increased awareness related to 'fitness, ' more often than not we only think about 'health' or doctors when we're sick. What's left in the middle of those two extremes is a life-long struggle to stay healthy and productive in a world of mixed medical messages. For the first time, Dr. Radha Gopalan, gifted heart transplant Cardiologist, Acupuncturist and Yoga Teacher, clears up the confusion around health, wellness, and illness. And he does it in a way that will change the way you think about yourself--and medicine--forever. Dr. Gopalan merges his education and experience in both Eastern and Western medicine to look at health and wellness from a unique and powerful perspective and delivers not only concepts and philosophies that can change the way you think about health and wellness, but assesses the most common medical conditions that impact our world--from cancer and diabetes to heart disease, obesity, and chronic illnesses. In Second Opinion, Dr. Gopalan will explain: - how Eastern and Western medicine can work together for optimum health and wellness ? - how you can influence the outcome of your health--and disease ? - how the five levels of the H-I Triangle shape your personality, reactions, health, and ?happiness ? - how insurance and finances are affecting your healthcare ? - why some people who eat healthy, exercise, and lead a healthy lifestyle still have a heart ?attack ? - how being healthy has more to do with who you must be than what you must do ?
Drs. Groopman and Hartzband reveal a clear path for making the right medical choices. Such factors as authority figures, statistics, other patients' stories, technology, and natural healing are key factors that shape choices.
This book explains how telemedicine can offer solutions capable of improving the care and survival rates of cancer patients and can also help patients to live a normal life in spite of their condition. Different fields of application – community, hospital and home based – are examined, and detailed attention is paid to the use of tele-oncology in rural/extreme rural settings and in developing countries. The impact of new technologies and the opportunities afforded by the social web are both discussed. The concluding chapters consider eLearning in relation to cancer care and assess the scope for education to improve prevention. No medical condition can shatter people’s lives as cancer does today and the need to develop strategies to reduce the disease burden and improve quality of life is paramount. Readers will find this new volume in Springer’s TELe Health series to be a rich source of information on the important contribution that can be made by telemedicine in achieving these goals.
For many doctors, their role as powerful healer precludes thoughts of ever getting sick themselves. When they do, it initiates a profound shift of awareness-- not only in their sense of their selves, which is invariably bound up with the "invincible doctor" role, but in the way that they view their patients and the doctor-patient relationship. While some books have been written from first-person perspectives on doctors who get sick-- by Oliver Sacks among them-- and TV shows like "House" touch on the topic, never has there been a "systematic, integrated look" at what the experience is like for doctors who get sick, and what it can teach us about our current health care system and more broadly, the experience of becoming ill.The psychiatrist Robert Klitzman here weaves together gripping first-person accounts of the experience of doctors who fall ill and see the other side of the coin, as a patient. The accounts reveal how dramatic this transformation can be-- a spiritual journey for some, a radical change of identity for others, and for some a new way of looking at the risks and benefits of treatment options. For most however it forever changes the way they treat their own patients. These questions are important not just on a human interest level, but for what they teach us about medicine in America today. While medical technology advances, the health care system itself has become more complex and frustrating, and physician-patient trust is at an all-time low. The experiences offered here are unique resource that point the way to a more humane future.
A guide to breast cancer features a question and answer format, and includes questions such as, "How serious is my cancer?", "Who will help with my cancer treatment?", and "What's the best way to treat my breast cancer?"
Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.
Cancer care today often provides state-of-the-science biomedical treatment, but fails to address the psychological and social (psychosocial) problems associated with the illness. This failure can compromise the effectiveness of health care and thereby adversely affect the health of cancer patients. Psychological and social problems created or exacerbated by cancer-including depression and other emotional problems; lack of information or skills needed to manage the illness; lack of transportation or other resources; and disruptions in work, school, and family life-cause additional suffering, weaken adherence to prescribed treatments, and threaten patients' return to health. Today, it is not possible to deliver high-quality cancer care without using existing approaches, tools, and resources to address patients' psychosocial health needs. All patients with cancer and their families should expect and receive cancer care that ensures the provision of appropriate psychosocial health services. Cancer Care for the Whole Patient recommends actions that oncology providers, health policy makers, educators, health insurers, health planners, researchers and research sponsors, and consumer advocates should undertake to ensure that this standard is met.
With his question-and-answer format, John McDougall leads the readers to an understanding of an approach to their health that puts them in charge of their own health and/or treatment.
From an expert in the field comes the definitive guide to managing breast cancer in the information age—a comprehensive resource for diagnosis, treatment, and peace of mind. The breast cancer cure rate is at an all-time high, and so is the information, to say nothing of the misinformation, available to patients and their families. Online searches can lead to unreliable sources, leaving even the most resilient patient feeling uneasy and uncertain about her diagnosis, treatment options, doctors, side effects, and recovery. Adding to a patient’s anxiety is input from well-meaning friends and family, with stories, worries, and opinions to share, sometimes without knowing the details of her particular case, when in reality breast cancer treatment has gone well beyond a “one size fits all” approach. Elisa Port, MD, FACS, chief of breast surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital and co-director of the Dubin Breast Center in Manhattan, offers an optimistic antidote to the ocean of Web data on screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Inside you’ll discover • the various scenarios when mammograms indicate the need for a biopsy • the questions to ask about surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and breast reconstruction • the important things to look for when deciding where to get care • the key to deciphering complicated pathology reports and avoiding confusion • the facts on genetic testing and the breast cancer genes: BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 • the best resources and advice for those supporting someone with breast cancer From innovations in breast cancer screening and evaluating results to post-treatment medications and living as a breast cancer survivor, Dr. Elisa Port describes every possible test and every type of doctor visit, providing a comprehensive, empathetic guide that every newly diagnosed woman (and her family) will want to have at her side. Praise for The New Generation Breast Cancer Book “One book you need . . . If you’re considering your options for treatment or know someone who is, this step-by-step guide, The New Generation Breast Cancer Book, is essential reading.”—InStyle “Elisa Port, M.D., is the doctor every patient deserves: brilliant and compassionate. Her book will be a sanity saver and, quite possibly, a life saver.”—Geralyn Lucas, author of Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy “As up-to-date as one can get, with lots to offer people facing a cancer diagnosis or hoping to support someone with the disease.”—Library Journal (starred review) “The New Generation Breast Cancer Book helps you sort through all the information you’ve gathered, clarify the terminology, consider the options, and make the right decisions for your unique case.”—Edie Falco “A lifeline for many women in need of today’s most up-to-date choices for treatment . . . Everyone should read this book for themselves, their mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and friends.”—Kara DioGuardi, Grammy-nominated songwriter, music executive, and Arthouse Entertainment co-founder “The book is teeming with easy-to-understand medical explanations, tips, takeaways, and pro-and-con discussions of various courses of action. Port also includes two extremely useful appendices that respectively take on common myths and answer questions frequently asked by friends and family. This is a vital read that will empower men and women alike.”—Publishers Weekly
