Building Better Metrics:   Focus on Patient Empowerment

By NIRAN AL-AGBA, MD Growing up during the 1970’s and 80’s, the “Little House on the Prairie” television series was an iconic part of my childhood.  Doc Baker was the physician and veterinarian for all of Walnut Grove, in spite of limited resources.  Medical lessons were everywhere in the beloved television series:  Mary experiencing onset of blindness (most recently attributed to viral meningoencephalitis, likely from Measles), the death of Laura’s infant son by unknown cause, and Rose’s survival after smallpox infection. When patients ask me how to start solid foods, how to get a baby to sleep through the night, or how to treat minor injuries or burns, I frequently wonder if they would have asked the town doctor these same questions one hundred years ago. Probably not, because they would know to watch their baby for hunger cues, let infants cry it out at night, or slap some egg white, aloe, or honey on their wounds or burns to prevent infection back then.  Empowering patients to treat themselves where appropriate has tremendous value to cut down on cost and consumption of precious resources.  It was also how medicine was practiced more than a century ago. The other night I was reading comments of a local mom group on social media, when a question came up about how to treat thrush while breastfeeding.  A patient’s mother commented they should use gentian violet; paint their own nipples and their infants’ mouth lightly as well.  A mom asked, “What is...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs