Larry McMahon, who turns 80 this month, is weighing whether to undergo a major surgery. Over the past five years, his back pain has intensified. Physical therapy, muscle relaxants, and injections aren’t offering relief. “It’s a pain that leaves me hardly able to do anything,” he said. Should McMahon, a retired Virginia state trooper who […]
Nearly 1 in 7 older adults die within a year of undergoing major surgery, according to an important new study that sheds much-needed light on the risks seniors face when having invasive procedures. Especially vulnerable are older patients with probable dementia (33% die within a year) and frailty (28%), as well as those having emergency […]
Patient engagement is often described in the context of shared decision-making or health literacy. Engaged patients educate themselves, ask questions and make informed choices: Which approach to cancer treatment is right for me? How can I change my diet to improve my health? What do I need to know to ensure I’m managing my parents’ […]
You (or a loved one) has cancer, but the latest round of chemotherapy has unfortunately had only a modest impact. While you’re acutely aware of the “wretchedness of life that becomes worn to the nub by [chemotherapy’s] adverse effects,” you’re also a fighter. How do you decide whether to continue with chemo? The answer to […]
Dr. Michael J. Barry’s recent blog post makes an outstanding case for the positive impact of shared decision making and a powerful argument against many myths about it. My thoughts here are complementary and supportive. I am not a clinician. Rather, my perspective is from the vantage point of patients and their families. My efforts […]
Can patient-clinician engagement save us from a time when antibiotics will not be able to resolve infection? In 1945, the medical community was first warned of the danger of antibiotic overuse and resistance. Alexander Fleming, the man who gave us penicillin left us with this powerful message about overuse: “In such cases, the thoughtless person […]