communication

*This article was originally published on 9/3/2017 and was updated on 1/29/2022 When I became a caregiver to my dad, I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to keep all of his medical information in my head. After years of packing my brain with medical facts, I began to feel I

(updated 8/7/20) My rising junior moves into her off-campus apartment in 2 weeks. I have been reflecting on her first move-in day two years ago. Like most freshmen parents, we had spent a lot of time shopping for twin XL sheets, storage bins, a micro-fridge, and various other items to furnish her room away from

My primary care physician (PCP) is an avid user of the patient portal. Within 24 hours of a visit, I receive an email informing me there is a new entry in the portal.  He consistently updates the portal with a summary of my visit. If labs were obtained, he enters the results and includes a

Do you remember having “the talk”? I’m referring to the moment when your mom or dad (or both) sat you down and talked to you about the birds and the bees. You know, the sex talk. My parents never gave me “the talk”. Maybe they thought my fifth-grade Sex Education class would be sufficient. Or

Part 3 of a 3-Part Series in recognition of Health Literacy Month   I’m the parent of a strong-willed, teenaged daughter. Since she was a very young child, she’s always wanted to know the “why” behind just about everything, including the many directives issued by me and her dad. While this can sometimes be exasperating,

Part 2 of a 3-Part Series in recognition of Health Literacy Month Imagine being placed behind the wheel of a brand new car. Sounds really nice, right? Now imagine you are only 13 years old, you haven’t taken a single driver’s education class, and you have no idea what to do. Unfortunately, this is often

My father was college-educated and had no obvious difficulty understanding medical advice in his earlier years. However, when he began to develop dementia there was a very noticeable change in his intellectual capacity. When I accompanied him to doctor visits, I noticed that not only did he struggle with understanding his instructions, he was also

There have been numerous changes to the way health care is delivered in the United States. Regulatory agencies, electronic medical records and insurance companies have altered the way physicians practice medicine. One of the unfortunate consequences has been the erosion of the doctor-patient relationship. Many patients don’t trust their doctors anymore. With less time for

During one of my dad’s more frustrating hospitalizations my sisters and I were having a very difficult time communicating with the doctors. We provided them with numerous examples of his confusion and disorganized thoughts. We had significant concerns about his mental status and ability to care for himself yet the doctors kept telling us he