Category Archives: Health

2018 Noteworthy List of Top Health Concerns

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

2018 Sum_LTime flew. With the coming holiday season, we’re approaching the end of 2018. I can’t believe it…

First and foremost, thank you, dear readers, for taking time to read and support my blog articles during the year!

There is a lot that has happened this year. Looking back, I’d like to highlight a list of noteworthy health issues that should continuously call for our attention. Here goes:

1.      Consider cancer deaths of nearly 10 million

Thanks to scientific breakthroughs and technological advances, notable progress has been made in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Despite a steady decline in cancer mortality over the past two decades, cancer is still the second leading cause of death in the U.S., with 609,640 cancer deaths projected this year by American Cancer Society. However, cancer statistics from WHO indicate an estimated 18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million deaths worldwide in 2018 alone. Cancer is expected to be the No. 1 cause of global death by the end of the century. So, cancer remains a major public health problem.

2.      Act on climate change more and fast

Experts from 13 government agencies just underlined the science and urgency of climate change in a recent assessment. Briefly, climate change can impact human health in various ways, including apparently increasing extreme weather, polluted air and water quality, the spread of new diseases via insects and pets, and changes to the availability of food. Any climate denial or skepticism is dangerous. Because global warming is a man-made problem, it goes beyond just acceptance, it requires pressing actions to protect our environment and preserve a healthy planet for the next generations.

3.      Take flu seriously and get vaccinated

Flu is a very contagious disease caused by the influenza virus. It kills more people than you may think. Last flu season (2017-2018) claimed a record-breaking 900,000 hospitalizations and 80,000+ deaths in the U.S. Particularly vulnerable are children aged 6+ months and adults older than 65 as well as people with heart and lung diseases; thus, a routine annual influenza vaccination is vital for these folks. Meanwhile, everybody should keep their immune system strong.

In fact, the CDC recommends that almost all children and adults get a flu shot. Remember that flu deaths primarily result from complications from flu, including pneumonia, dehydration, and ear or sinus infections. Flu can worsen existing medical conditions such as heart failure, diabetes, or asthma. So, learn the potential dangers of flu.

4.      End the opioid epidemic – complexity of addiction and suicide
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In 2017, more than 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses (including illicit drugs and prescription opioids), according to the CDC. Also, U.S. life expectancy has dropped in recent years as opioid deaths rise. Current strategies and efforts still fall short, and relatively unnoticed are the data suggesting that considerable opioid-overdose deaths are suicides, as Drs. Oquendo and Volkow commented in “Suicide: A Silent Contributor to Opioid-Overdose Deaths”.

That’s why interventions should cover all bases from treating overdoses to screening suicide risk. Moreover, we all can help end the opioid crisis through actions such as raising more awareness, reducing stigma on individuals, and reaching out to those in social isolation.

5.      Protect our kids from e-cigarettes

E-cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive drug, although they don’t burn and release many carcinogens and chemicals as tobacco smoking does. They are increasingly popular among teenagers, especially with flavors appealing to kids. Important to remember is that e-cigarettes pose health risks for children, because nicotine can harm their brain development, and nicotine addiction can potentially lead them to traditional tobacco smoking. The FDA has taken steps to prevent the teen vaping “epidemic,” especially placing new restrictions on sales of flavored e-cigarettes and kid-friendly varieties. So, be aware of the dangers of this drug-delivery system called “e-cigarettes”.

6.      Recognize “The Year of Women” and beyond

Evidently, 2018 is the year of women in politics, as a record-breaking number of women candidates with a diversity of backgrounds were elected to our national leadership. I’d like to remind you of a less acknowledged concern for women—women’s health after experiencing sexual harassment or assault, because the problem can affect a woman’s long-term well-being significantly. Attack and trauma are associated with adverse effects on a victim’s mental and physical health, such as symptoms of gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and neurological problems. More common are also sleep loss, depression, impaired functionality, and worsened quality of life.

…..

Certainly, health headlines are beyond the short list above. Here I have focused primarily on serious or overlooked life-saving matters, which can be easily digested (without covering everything from Alzheimer’s disease to mass shooting). However, any of these changes won’t happen overnight, and require our continued efforts.

I wish you a happy, healthy holiday season and the best in 2019!

 

Image credits: labroots; clipartpanda; clipground; ogahealth; and CPD

Color-Coded Foods Guide Your Immune System and Vitality

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Rainbow Color Foods_pixabay.comDoes the food color panel tell something about your diet and your body?

Are you fully aware how your daily diet contributes to chronic inflammation? — which has been proven to be a link to countless chronic diseases, especially heart disease and cancer.

Plant-based, colorful foods, i.e., red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple vegetables and fruits, are filled with nutrients. The “food rainbow” contains not only vitamins and minerals, but most importantly, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Accumulated scientific evidence has shown their anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anti-pollutant, and anti-cancer properties.
You can cheapest levitra enjoy glowing skin and regain lost youth. Tambi emphasized that women in the southeast Asian culture have used Tongakt Ali browse now now best generic cialis to improve sex drive and help experience powerful orgasms. Sildamax is available in pdxcommercial.com viagra cipla india the online medical shops. Precaution: This is intended only for men suffering from impotence Men working in a factory or pilots should not take this Drug viagra on line in UK is not prescribed to the individuals as they can switch any of the alternatives.
Therefore, rethink your diet, think about colors and rainbow, and eat a plenty of them for your physical and psychological benefits.

 

Image credit: Pixabay

Precision Medicine: From Buzzword to Promise or Reality (Part II)

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Target_Precision Prevention_CPDHappy New Year to All! This article is the continuation (Part Two) of Precision Medicine mini-series, with a focus on Precision Prevention intended to help foster and improve your health in the new year.

So, let’s dive right in.

From Precision Medicine to Precision Prevention

Prevention and medicine work side-by-side, as ancient wisdom signifies “Prevention is better than cure.”

Similarly, precision medicine and precision prevention play a joint role in cancer outcome. While precision medicine is targeting the genetic characteristics and genetic changes of each patient’s cancer, precision prevention is aimed at changing an individual’s behavior.

Precision prevention requires a better understanding of the molecular pathways of a particular disease at a level of each individual, which involves mapping out genomic profile, identifying individual’s risk, behavioral, social and environmental interactions. Then tailored interventions can be strategized to modify individual’s physical and biological characteristics.

Impact on Cancer Prevention

Precision medicine, together with precision prevention, has certainly facilitated/improved cancer prevention whether you realize it or not, particularly in early detection.

Colonoscopy screening is a good example. Let me highlight the steps:

First, there is a guideline to identify people at a risk for colon cancer and/or who need to be screened – e.g. starting 40 years old if having a family history, or 50 years old without a family history.

Second, this test can detect a growth in the entire colon through imaging.

Finally, doctors can implement treatments immediately to prevent or slow down cancer progression, e.g. to surgically remove a benign growth (polyp) or premalignant lesion during the screening, or to start an aggressive therapy for a cancerous tumor.

As a result of such a cancer prevention strategy, colon cancer is highly preventable if caught in a precancerous stage.

Meanwhile, additional findings should be taken into consideration. Recent clinical studies found that 80% of people with colorectal cancer have no known family history of this disease, which suggests that other risk factors (environmental, diet or lifestyle) play a role in colon cancer development, and that current colon cancer screening recommendation (mainly based on age and family history) could miss many individuals at risk.
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So, next prospective is how to improve precision prevention. Advances in precision risk stratification has done so. To identify who may benefit from preventive measures or early aggressive treatment or alternative therapies, precision risk stratification can separate individuals at a high risk from those at a low risk through innovative technologies, genetic profiling and multiple risk factors reporting. In colon cancer prevention, while those at higher risk benefit from colonoscopy, people at a lower risk can get screened through sigmoidoscopy, a non-colonoscopy screening with clinical value in detecting advanced growth. Subsequently, precision risk stratification-based screening for colorectal cancer will also reduce healthcare cost stemming from unnecessary colonoscopy screening.

Immunoprevention presents other successful examples. It can be demonstrated by hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination in preventing related cancers. Immunoprevention can also draw in patients carrying cancer predisposition genes.

In addition, precision prevention may imply identifying novel genomic biomarkers for cancer detection and prevention, applying predictive biomarkers, and analyzing gene-environmental interactions especially associated with modifiable risk factors to develop target preventive strategies.

Precision Prevention beyond Cancer 

Undoubtedly, precision medicine, along with precision prevention, is transforming cancer diagnostics and treatment to reduce cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality in the near future. And one day, the promise of precision prevention for Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic syndromes, or other chronic illnesses can lead us to a remarkable horizon.

Imagine – the beauty alongside benefit of precision nutrition blossoms in your plate of food. As the prevalence of obesity, prediabetes and diabetes increases, tailored nutritional approaches are needed to manage and prevent these conditions. Precision nutritional interventions can be achieved via analyzing and monitoring your dietary habits, food eating behaviors, physical activity, microbiota profile, along with deep phenotyping (i.e. precise and comprehensive analysis of abnormalities in physical and biochemical characteristics).

End Note with Key Numbers

Lifestyle factors (smoking, diet, sedentary, etc.) contribute to over 40% of cancers, and infections, to about 18% of cancers. Thus, many cancers are preventable by lifestyle modification, preventing infections, having balanced diet and regular exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Remember: Prevention is not a sprint, nor a marathon; is a sustained life-long journey. Prevention is not done through virtual world, but achieved in a real world and requires actions. If precision prevention is aimed at changing individual behaviors, the power of control is within each of us.

Going into 2018, imagine a year with your best well-being!

 

Image credit: CanStockPhoto & CPD

 

 

New on How Critical Your Sleep Is and How to Optimize It

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

5 Sleeping babies_comboDo you toss and turn at night? Do you have difficulties in getting to sleep or staying asleep or both?

If the answer is “YES”, you are a part of the statistics as to an estimated 60 million adults in the US suffering from a sleep disorder. But, taking it lightly is risky.

Previously, I discussed about how sleep disorders may increase a risk to cancer by weakening or disrupting the immune functions and promoting inflammation (see CancerPreventionDaily.com). In this post, I’d like to share some intriguing updates emerged from a new perspective.

Notably, I’m also providing a “Sleep Regimen” in ROOM that is memorable and actionable for a better sleep.

First, let’s dive into recent interesting discovery on serious sleep disorder.

As you may know, sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder with trouble breathing during sleep; in particular, a halt/stop to breathing may last 10 to 30 seconds and numerous episodes a night. So, it’s potentially life-threatening if left undiagnosed or untreated.

Sleep-disordered breathing, e.g. sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS), contributed to cancer development – based on the animal studies simulating SAHS’ characters, i.e. nocturnal irregular hypoxia (deprivation of oxygen to the tissue) and sleep breakup. Repetitive hypoxia and reoxygenation influenced tumor generation by fueling new blood vessel formation and cancer cell growth. Furthermore, human studies found that higher cancer incidence and mortality are observed in patients with severe sleep-disordered breathing.

Sleep disorders (varied from chronic insomnia to obstructive sleep apnea) have also been linked to many chronic conditions, such as stroke, heart failure, lung diseases, neurological disease, kidney disease, and depression, just to cite some, in both adults and pediatric populations.

Overall, insufficient/poor sleep can impact your health, happiness, safety, career, and quality of life.

Next, how to optimize your sleep

There are multiple ways to enhance the quality of your sleep, e.g. healthy lifestyle, exercise, stress-relief, pain management, etc. However, “sleep hygiene” is one of the top fundamentals, and you can gain direct benefit.
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That’s why I’d prefer a non-pharmacological management, and recommend specifically a “Sleep Regimen” in a simple, memorable ROOM to assist you optimize your sleep. Here is how it works.

R: Rest, Relax, and have a Ritual to unwind before your bedtime.

O: O=0 Zero distractions. Distractions range from electronic/mobile devices, TV/radio, bright lights, noises, air, plus Temperature (an important factor – not too hot or too cold), so eliminate or minimize them from your night environment.

O: O=0 Zero food or stimulant drinks, including alcohol, coffee, sugary drinks and/or stimulant medications. Limit water intake too. No meal intake 2 hours prior to your bedtime.

M: Mandate the time and mattress. It is critical to ensure your premier sleep time (7-8 hours per night); go to sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time every day, and stick with it even during the weekend. Remember: Invest a really good, comfortable mattress.

Let me recap it – Design or create and utilize the R.O.O.M. consistently.

In addition, find out the cause of your sleeping problem(s), and don’t rely on “sleeping pills”, unless drug intervention is absolutely necessary.

At the end, I wish you sleep like a baby, and smile like a baby too, for your well-being and vitality.

 

Image Credits: Oseias Ferreira at FreeImages.com;

Claire57100, Zinz25, Esudroff, PubicDomainPictures at Pixabay.com

Medication Adherence Is No Trivial Matter

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Med.Adherence n ProvidersPayers_CPDn2otherImagine you want that magic pill to lose weight or you just got the right drugs to effectively cure your illness, but in either case, you let the pills sit somewhere around your house… How would it help you?

Sadly, failure to take prescribed medications causes about 125,000 deaths annually, according to the CDC.

That’s why I talk about medication adherence and the consequences of non-adherence. Medication adherence implies that a patient takes the medication(s) prescribed by his/her doctor, following the dosage, time or frequency, duration and direction.

Issues on taking medications have been an age-old yet multifaceted challenge, which has some across-the-board consequences. Adherence is especially low among patients with chronic illnesses. And it often happens among elderly people too.

It may surprise you how significant this matter is. Let’s start with reasons for adherence.

Why should a patient take medications faithfully and rigorously?

Medication adherence and therapeutic satisfaction are profoundly tied together.

  1. Your adherence to correctly prescribed medication is essential to clinical-efficiency, cost-effectiveness and positive outcomes.
  2. Adherence to the right regime or course of therapy prevents the development of adverse drug events (ADEs) or adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in many ways.
  3. In the sphere of “cost”, if you try to reduce medication cost by taking it irregularly or delaying the refills, the full therapeutic pay off will not be achieved, and worst, a risk of declining health and increasing cost will transpire.
  4. Non-adherence can lead to hospital readmission, esp. in cases of critical health problems, and potentially affecting clinical quality improvement.
  5. Non-adherence is a $ Multi-Billion problem. “Between $100 and $300 billion of avoidable health care costs have been attributed to nonadherence in the US annually.” (Iuga & McGuire. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2014; 7:35-44)

It’s worthy to emphasize that many biological events in the body take place between drug dose and its response, including the release of the drug, absorption, distribution, metabolism, secretion and clearance. Plus, drug interactions with coexisting substances or factors could be severe or subtle. So, non-adherence to medication could result in some unanticipated incidents.

So, what are likely roots of non-adherence?

They can be divided into TWO categories: System (external) and Patients (internal)

Systems / External to Patients – just name a few

  • Discontinuity of care – esp. from hospitalization to subsequent discharge home when lacking a proper direction
  • Multiple changes in medication regimens
  • Inadequate education or instruction of drug use to patients
  • Lack of information on side effects of drugs and preventative measures
  • Drug design itself: e.g. formulation, packaging, inconvenience or high cost, etc.

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Patients / Internal Causes

  • Failure to fill the prescription at the start
  • Failure to refill the medications consistently
  • Forgetfulness – esp. in older people
  • Exhaustion of multiple medications
  • Discontinuity due to a side effect, fear of side effects, finance or misled information
  • Inappropriate use of medication
  • Intentional decision to not take the medication
  • Lack of understanding diseases or poor health literacy
  • Physical difficulties, esp. with swallowing big tablets or capsules, opening bottles or containers, or obtaining prescriptions.

Understandably, non-adherence may occur above all when a patient’s expectation for therapeutic benefits goes beyond the actual benefits, or when medication cost is greater than a patient anticipated.

If non-adherence is an issue for you, it’s time to reflect and deal with the root problem following the explorative list above. Surely it could be something outside it.

Finally – How can you stick to your medications?

Medical adherence is one of keys to better health care. Interventions to reinforce adherence from clinicians and allied health professionals need to be improved. On the other hand, I’d like to highlight what you can do to stay on your medication regimen and optimize your health.

10 Strategies & Tips for Medication Adherence

  1. Take a driver’s seat for your care. Before a drug prescription, talk with your physician to understand why the medication is needed and what benefits it produces. By making a mutual agreement or decision, it will enhance your adherence in the beginning.
  2. Counsel with a pharmacist at your local pharmacy if you have any concern or trouble with your drugs, and they are happy to help with adequate knowledge and advice. Bonus – it’s free of charge.
  3. Comply with the instruction. This is very important as mentioned earlier that drug dosing can impact your body in various ways. For example, some drugs need to be taken in the morning and others in the evening; some once a day, others four times a day; some with a full stomach, others with an empty one…
  4. Have a self-management system – i.e. use a pillbox, take the medication at the same time each day and ideally couple it with a specific daily task or routine, color-code different time points, refill the medications at the same time each week, and order your medications 7-10 days ahead… you got the idea. It’s practical and effective, esp. for older people who use multiple drugs or drugs that must be taken several times a day.
  5. Find a creative way to remind yourself. It could be a sign, a framed memo or a decorated item/box, or an alarm. And make sure it’s absolutely visible.
  6. Take advantage of technology. It could be a medication reminder app or a dedicated digital calendar. Most helpful, set the alarms, esp. smartphone reminders or some cell phones allow you to set multiple alarms a day.
  7. Reduce financial stress by trimming costs down. If your meds cost too much, consult with your pharmacist for a generic brand or current regimen adjustment. In addition, you can switch to a mail-order pharmacy, which certainly offers more savings.
  8. Get help and support from family members, care givers or doctors whenever necessary, e.g. reminder, refilling, or ideas.
  9. Change attitude and take control of your health. Concerns, denials or doubts are real, but none of them is the right solution to your illness. Find a motivation to take that pill, and it should be bigger than you.
  10. When you travel, make sure to take an extra 1-2 days of medications in case of a delayed schedule. Always keep your meds in your carry-on bag. On a similar note, if you’re dining out, take the required meds with you.

The Take-Home-Message:

#1  “Drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them”. 

#2  Drugs don’t perform well in patients who don’t take them with a right dose, at a right time and in a right way.

#3  Medication adherence can maximize therapeutic benefits. Failure to do so causes considerable health, clinical and economic consequences.

 

Image Credits: Pharmaceuticalonline.com; Lifescript.com

 

Rethink Powerful Strategies for Cancer Prevention in 2017

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

LoveHope 2017_Std.The holiday season is over and the new year started. Many of you probably have set some exciting goals or resolutions already. In reality, early or later, some folks would probably fall “off the wagon”? How would you do differently?

CancerPreventionDaily has provided plenty of practical advice, resources, and useful links on powerful strategies for cancer prevention over the years. Instead of reiterating those strategies here, I’d like to highlight a tool of “RETHINK”.

First, let’s cherish HOPE by celebrating recent scientific and medical advances in cancer treatment! Cancer Immunotherapy has been put on the spotlight – a therapy based on the principle of unleashing the body’s immune system to attack cancer. In addition, remarkable advances in other therapies (e.g. chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery and radiation therapy) all improved clinical outcomes, especially lives of people battling cancers.

Equally significant is advance in cancer prevention, specifically, HPV vaccine. As the human papillomavirus (HPV) is the major cause of cervical cancer – infected by passing the virus during sex, and the disease is preventable.

Now let me dive in a bit deeper on “Rethink”.

Consider Uber or Zipcar. Whether through Uber (providing you with a car and a driver) or Zipcar (providing you with a car), you can reach your desired destinies – a different approach from using traditional or old fashion rental cars. Note: These are good examples of innovation or rethinking, not paid Ads! :)

Next, how to rethink with regard to health?

Take weight loss as an example. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the top powerful strategies for cancer prevention, as scientific evidence clearly indicate that obesity is a risk factor for several types of cancer in both men and women, needless to say risk for diabetes and heart disease.

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So, get motivated, get rid of all unhealthy baggage in all possible ways – dispose of fats, throw away junk foods, abandon extra sugar and extra salt, dispense or burn off some calories, thereby getting rid of “unwanted” pounds, consequently you will reach your goal of weight management. Certainly, you can discover creative ways that work best for you along the journey.

Rethink about cancer and prevention: Instead of fearing “Big C”, treat it as a life or health project with “small pieces”. This is because cancer is the mass (of tissues) on the surface but a collection of complex and multiple diseases in the hub, therefore, you need to tackle it with multiple approaches from genetic medicine, lifestyle to environment and early detection.

So, you got the idea.

In summary –

Rethink, Re-envision, Re-tweak, Re-evaluate and/or Re-calibrate, whatever works for you, so that you gain new perspectives and new approaches, which will help your new year’s resolutions stick, and reap your health benefits in the long run.

May more happiness and better health be all of yours throughout the year 2017!

 

Image credit: mozakdesign.com and CancerPreventionDaily

A Year End Note: Let Bundle of Love and Ray of Hope Continue

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

A Year End NoteAs we approach the New Year, thank you for your time, reading, likes, comments and feedback in this past year!

I reach out to you because many of you are healthy but fearful of getting cancer, some folks survive cancer, while some are struggling with cancer or other chronic illnesses now.

At the beginning of 2016, one New Year’s resolution from CancerPreventionDaily.com was to bring a theme of love and hope for cancer prevention and care. Throughout the year, the site delivered this theme by serving you with knowledge and solutions for cancer prevention. Here are highlighted areas of the posts:

  • Steered self-care and preventive measures in the ways that foster your well-being from the cells to the whole body and lifestyle choices, from kids to seniors and all ages.
  • Updated serious epidemic and environmental factors.
  • Facilitated clinical care, primarily patient safety and engagement.

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Many cancers are preventable; and there are so many things we can do to prevent cancer. Start within.

Let bundle of love and ray of hope carry on in 2017 and future!

The Power of Participation in Patient Surveys

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Survey-Feedback_CPD w-otherAfter a trip to the doctor, you or a family member may be requested to fill in a “patient satisfaction survey” or “patient experience survey.” Many folks, questioning what difference it would make whether they complete the survey or not, simply ignore it, as if there were more urgent issues in life at the moment. Sound familiar?

In a recent post, I talked about the issue of improving patient safety and quality of care. Well, participating in a patient experience survey is a key part of that issue. Here, I’m going to dive in a little deeper.

First, let’s start with difference between a “patient satisfaction survey” and a “patient experience survey”

Though wordings of the two are similar, a careful assessment reveals striking differences. Understanding these differences can help you collaborate with your providers effectively.

The essential difference between the two is that a patient satisfaction survey concentrates on making patients happy, while a patient experience survey focuses on making people well – beyond making them happy!

A patient satisfaction survey reflects perceptions or preferences of quality of care received, so it’s more subjective. In contrast, a patient experience survey exposes what happened during the care, so is more objective.

Experience reporting is a more reliable instrument because it tells about the patient’s actual experience of a specific service, clinician, or hospital incident. Questions are designed to be more meaningful to patients and more measurable for providers’ care, and the answers can be transformed into actions.

On the other hand, a satisfaction rating is merely a judgment on meeting one’s expectations. As you can understand, people’s expectations vary, and what matters to one person is different for another.

Take a particular example of waiting time:

When asked “How satisfied are you with the waiting time for your appointment” (e.g. setting up time for your visit, finally seeing your doctor), the results from a satisfaction survey could range from excellent through good, fair, and finally poor.

But in a patient experience survey, when asked “How long did you wait for an appointment when you needed care”, the choices are more concrete (e.g., 1 day, 2-3 days, 4-7 days, or longer than 7 days). To the question “How long did you wait to see your doctor”, the answers are specific (e.g., 15 minutes, 15-30 minutes, 30 minutes or longer).

In sum, to steer towards patient-centered care, it is better to ask patients to report their real experience rather than to put down their satisfaction ratings.

Next, how do patients benefit from patient experience surveys?

Patient experience is important because it not only stimulates a strong patient-provider relationship but also is a critical step toward improving quality of care.

In particular,

  1. Patient experience surveys communicate the best way to improve quality of care. Research indicates that improving patient satisfaction has not been linked to improving quality of care.
  2. Emphasizing patient experience means putting patients first, with healthcare providers being concerned more about “what matters to you” rather than “how are we doing”.
  3. Patient experience surveys value patients’ voices. With your voice, an actionable change can begin because your input reveals key indicators for delivering quality of care.

Eventually, greater patient experience will lead to greater quality of care, which will translate into greater patient satisfaction.

Good news for cancer patients ! – CAHPS for Cancer Care

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has advanced Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) to assess quality of care from the patient’s point of view in various healthcare settings.

CAHPS for Cancer Care has been developed by AHRQ to consistently measure and compare cancer care delivered by different providers and ultimately to provide information for quality improvement. CAHPS for Cancer Care includes three separate sets of questionnaires for surgical, radiation, and medical oncology respectively.

Although CAHPS® is the best tool for healthcare providers, patient engagement and participation are important parts of the process. More reasons for this survey, according to Dr. Caren Ginsberg, director of CAHPS® at AHRQ are:

  • CAHPS surveys are featured to capture information about patient experience rather than patient satisfaction;
  • The surveys are scientifically and statistically sound, thus the results are valid and reliable;
  • CAHPS is flexible to use and easily incorporated into any hospital existing surveys. 

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Overall, CAHPS® also serves as a massive database that offer measurable and actionable information, as the surveys have been implemented for over 20 years.

How can you participate and cooperate?

As a final point, remember: one survey cannot change health care or save a life, but it represents one voice and constitutes a worthy part of a large set of valuable data. So, when requested next time, please complete the survey (via innovative technology, direct mail, or telephone), because your voice will be heard, and you can help improve healthcare and save lives!

 

Image credit: http://earlylearningwa.org/ and http://knswb.org.au/

5 Reasons for a Higher Awareness of Zika

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Zika_Pt.2_CPDZika virus continuously poses a public health threat in the U.S.. Since my last post “Zika Virus Infection and Cancer Care Indication”, as of August 24th, 29 people in Florida have been infected with Zika virus through local mosquito transmission, along with 2,487 travel-related cases across the country, according to the CDC.

This is a more alarming reality than that presented three months ago when all 544 Zika cases in the U.S. were travel-related. Regions along the Gulf Coast are at an elevated risk for Zika outbreak, especially Louisiana, because of recent devastating flooding.

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the Zika crisis. Of importance is to avoid traveling to Zika outbreak areas and stay self-protected to prevent mosquito bites. I won’t get into details here because plenty of information or guidance is available elsewhere.

Based on some new research and clinical findings, I’d like to emphasize FIVE reasons why we need a higher alert and responsiveness to Zika infection. Here goes:

1.      There are various ways for Zika virus transmission.

A person who has acquired the Zika infection could pass virus along through mosquito bites, maternal-fetal and/or sexual transmission. Unmistakably, blood transfusion also becomes a major concern as Zika-positive blood donation is evident. That’s why the FDA recently recommended nationwide screening of blood donations for Zika virus. Thank about it – why is it necessary to run such a costly and time-consuming testing for a massive blood donation system? Remember that people infected with Zika virus could be symptomless.

2.      Zika virus can damage not only a baby’s brain but also an adult’s brain cells.

Painful scan images have shown that Zika infects a fetus, causes brain calcification, and destroys a baby’s brain. Severe brain damage may bring about long-term developmental problems or neurological complications affecting vision, movement and epilepsy. On the other hand, new research reveals that Zika virus impacts a different area of adult mice’s brain, such as a specific neural cell, and it could affect long-term memory in some adults.

This thing does not allow reproductive system to receive sufficient blood to cause an cheap levitra canada try that store erection. You just need your debit or credit card in order cialis djpaulkom.tv order to complete the transaction and pay using the same. Myth – ED is a curable disorder Fact – ED is actually an incurable disorder; however, it can be brought upon by years of unhealthy cialis pills canada diet and lifestyle. Discover the rush that you will only get from their doctor.When it comes to certain things a person does not have firm erections in his life then it can drift away all the desirable love, happiness and pleasurable moments and may fill his life only with depression, canadian viagra sales inability and regret feelings. 3.      Zika virus affects the immune response, particularly in those whose immune system has been compromised due to a chronic disease or cancer therapy.

Infections by viruses can suppress the immune system. Moreover, a person’s inflammatory response to mosquito bites may augment the severity of arbovirus infection (e.g. Zika). Studies suggest that mosquito bites, especially in individuals hypersensitive to mosquito bites, may be linked to cancer development through activating cancer cellular pathways by mosquito-feeding, and/or through influencing human metabolic pathways leading to the initiation of cancer.

4.      It’s challenging to control mosquitoes.

Mosquito population is measured in the millions, and usually in the hundreds of millions. There is no way to distinguish Zika-infected mosquitoes from the rest uninfected. It’s virtually impossible to eradicate them all. But it doesn’t mean we should give up our effort.

Aerial spraying and backpack fogging carried out by the professionals can help reduce mosquito populations in epidemic areas. There are also effect measures that individual citizens can take right at home or the backyard with little or no cost. For instance, the best ways to control local mosquito population is to eliminate the places where mosquitoes breed, such as water-filled buckets, flowerpots, containers, puddles or pools of standing water outdoors.

Using pesticides to kill mosquitoes is delicate. Be cautious about unintended consequence, because pesticides often contain some toxic chemicals that can be harmful to human health if inhaled or ingested. 

5.      Finally, keep in mind those young women whose newborns suffering from microcephaly, neurological abnormalities and birth defects. What would their hardship be? – raising their ill babies, caring for the infants with various disabilities, and likely dealing with their own stress, anxiety, depression or quality of life.

 

Image credit: physio-pedia.com and CPD

Men’s Health Month Ends BUT Men’s Health Challenges Persist

By Hui Xie-Zukauskas

Happy father and son isolated on white backgroundA lot of men are “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” kind of guys and believe they can fix anything by themselves. This is true many times in life. But when it comes to health conditions, it could be a dangerous misconception.

Today, I’m going to highlight how men’s masculinity or “toughness” and emotional restraint may impede them from seeking medical or professional help, consequently having a negative or even grave effect on their health.

The Cover-Ups & Attitude

Sometimes, those “annoying” symptoms (e.g., snoring, bad breath, enlarged prostate, and unexplained weight gain or loss) show up and even persist; but a lot of guys would rather tough it out or put off a visit to the doctor with various excuses. I get that. But do you know – a quiet health crisis may be underway?

How about in the workplace? Masculinity may influence workplace health and safety particularly in male-dominated skilled trades as injured workers return to work too early and “tough” workers then reinforce dominant masculine norms. Results of a joint study from the University of Toronto showed, “A desire to be viewed as a strong, responsible, resilient worker may intersect with concerns about job loss, to influence participants’ decisions to not report safety issues and workplace accidents, to not disclose post-injury work challenges, and to not request workplace supports” (Stergiou-Kita et al., Work; 2016). Certainly, institutional identification and practices play a role too.

How about social or psychosocial beliefs? Some folks believe that cancer will inevitably lead to death (so-called cancer fatalism). A study by Mitchell et al. (Res. Aging; 2016) reported that among 1,666 African American males enrolled in Medicare, 76.5% felt helpless, 44.2% confused, and 40.7% pessimistic about the ability to prevent cancer. Despite a couple of limitations, the study reveals a challenging factor for cancer prevention and screening detection. Important to note, although African American males remain at greatest risk for dying from prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers compared to men of other races, early detection and treatment save lives.

The Facts & Evidence

Men are more vulnerable to various disorders at all ages across the lifespan. Also, men’s average life expectancy stays largely behind that of women’s. Primary physical health risks that are leading causes of death or are burdens for men include cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer (especially prostate and lung cancer), diabetes, depression, and suicide. Fortunately, many of the top causes of death are preventable and can be treated, if found early.

Finally, here is a list of Strategic Actions you or your loved ones can take for men’s health:

  • Check out critical numbers such as blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar; keep them in normal ranges.
  • Schedule recommended screenings for prostate and colon cancer, and a routine testicle exam.
  • Schedule a routine medical care or physical examination.
  • Ladies, accompany your man to his doctor visit. This can be a great help with eliminating potential communication barrier(s) to disclosing a real problem or filling in a missing note.
  • Keep mentally active; for example, take new classes, play brain games, or learn something new.
  • Forge a close relationship with a circle of friends.
  • Never ignore some seemingly common symptoms such as snoring, bad breath, and enlarged prostate. Take note of it. If the problem persists, consult your physician to rule out any medical conditions.
  • Consult professional help if you (or your man) have symptoms of depression.

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In summary, to prevent a quiet health crisis in men, we all need to step in by advancing men’s mental health, strengthening men’s workplace safety, and caring about men’s overall well-being, in addition to monitoring men’s physical health.

Saving His life—men’s lives—is one of the best things to do throughout the year!

Image credit: www.communitycarechemist.com.au/category/mens-health