Exploring and sharing knowledge on functional limitations, the healthcare delivery system, digital health, safety and the patient experience. The online shop includes innovative tools for living an active life in spite of functional challenges caused by injury or chronic illness.
Years ago as a blogger, physicians and a few other clinicians found me and shared their books. Today, patients and their caregivers find me. Not in Vain is a daughter's advocacy in honor of her mother and her experience with...
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Rare conditions, syndromes and diseases can include a really long and winding road; especially during the diagnosis period. Rare doesn't mean there isn't a diagnosis, it just means more thought and referrals for second opinions or referrals to specialists are...
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This guest post from Nightfall (a cloud-native data loss prevention solution) is written for organizations that partner with those in the healthcare industry, but I share this post to help educate consumers. One reason is I often hear "you can...
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Too many consumers of health care services feel stuck. They know something is wrong, but their physician (or another clinician) doesn't find anything or suggests a diagnosis or treatment that just doesn't seem to fit. While we don't want to...
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The healthcare system has been evolving over a long period of time. And, it seems, this evolution has been picking up speed given the rapid advancements we have experienced over the last few decades. Part of this evolution has been...
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I'm teaching this week - health informatics to nurses, public health and health administration students. Last week we discussed standards and interoperability; and it reminded me of a story. The memory was triggered by student discussions. One said it must...
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I was recently asked how did I learn to advocate for myself as a patient. This made me reflect on my career in health administration, where I recognized the importance of patients advocating for themselves early in my journey. In...
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My online support groups have given me tremendous new insight into healthcare social media. More specifically, about how patients and family caregivers use these tools to get advice on their challenges, threats and needs. These online networks have revealed opportunities...
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"Joy and woe are woven fine." - William Blake There is a wonderful book for caregivers that offers expert advice ... from a caregiver. It is focused on her experience caring for someone with Alzheimer's, however, the experiences and advice...
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Way back in 2005, I began blogging. After a couple of years, I got tired of explaining to my hospital administration and physician friends "what's a blog?" and "why would I want to Twitter?" Since all of the young people...
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Guest Post: Robert Johnson is a woodworking enthusiast whose passion for power tools is expressed through writing. He is the founder, owner, and main author of Sawinery.net, a blog site dedicated to his personal reviews of different types and specific...
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A while back I wrote an article on why patient portals aren't being used. It was written while I was in a fatigued frenzy as a patient trying to find a diagnosis. Since then, I continue to experience the healthcare...
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The current issue of the Annals of Family Medicine includes two articles that deal with mental health and information technology. There are many assumptions about mental health in the age of digital health, so perhaps the findings of this research...
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ZDoggMD, AKA Dr. Damania, is one of the coolest of the cool docs around. It does make me happy to see him weighing in on the topic of medical marijuana. Let him guide you through the haze and watch! I...
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A couple of things happened in the last two days that made me think it is time for me to again mention patient advocacy; including self-advocacy. First, the monthly meeting of Chronic Disease Coalition Ambassadors occurred and the importance of...
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I've been struggling with where to find trusted information on cannabis and CBD; all while knowing video is more engaging. I've now found Green Flower and their free videos on a variety of related topics. My first one to watch...
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As a child, I attended AA and Alanon meetings with my grandparents whenever I was visiting over the summer. It was what we did, especially since my "born again" recovering alcoholic grandfather took pride in helping those new on the...
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Years ago, as I prepared to write a book on use of social media in healthcare, I signed on and really liked FourSquare. They split the app a couple of years later and it lost value for me. But, I...
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Since 2005, I've blogged as a healthcare administrator and along the way met some great blogger friends. John Lynn of Healthcare Scene was one of the very first; because we shared an interest in healthcare social media, or #hcsm, and...
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Being an activated and engaged patient means you are constantly learning and becoming a better self advocate. Just when things are sailing along smoothly, BOOM! My new learning has to do with insurance coverage and the start of each new...
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In the heat of the moment and emotion, we can all say something ugly. We are human. However, what we say, or tweet, does provide a glimpse into our innermost thoughts and the true self. Lashing out when someone doesn't...
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My blog has taken a new shift to focus in on the patient experience from the patient's perspective. Since I wrote an article on this for health professionals a couple of years ago, I thought this would be a great...
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I'm preparing for my next Health Informatics course and added a new video highlighting the use of sensors and wireless devices for both consumer and clinician users. I had not shared this on my blog previously, but it is worthy...
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The Aw Phooey! episode of the Jetsons demonstrates how virtual visits or telehealth technologies might interfere with attempts to play hookie from school. Parents, on the other hand, would find value in not having to interrupt their day for a...
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