|
PATIENT2PATIENT NEWSLETTER
Fall 2006
Please visit our Web site: www.Patient2Patient.net
"The Guided Source to Health Information"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In This Issue:
* From the Director
* Quote of the Month
* Speaking Engagements
* Patient Best Practices Feature Article -"Knee Replacement
Surgery - What You Should Know"
* Humor
* Memoriam
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ From the Director ~
The Fall issue of our Patient Best Practices column is based
on my own experience. Over the summer I had double knee replacement
surgery. If you have not had this surgery yourself, I’m sure
that you know someone who has, or someone who is thinking about
it. Knee replacement surgery has become common and the results
are usually very good, and often spectacular. Still, like
everything else in medicine, there are a few keys to recovery
that can make all the difference.
Read our Best Practices column to find out what doctors, physical
therapists and other patients recommend.
Andrew Robinson, J.D.
Executive Director
Patient2Patient, LLC
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ Quotation of the Month ~
"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm
terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient
reason for remaining ashore"
-- Vincent Van Gogh --
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~Speaking Engagements~
For many years Andrew Robinson has been a featured speaker at
consumer and professional health conferences around the United
States. Through these talks he has helped thousands of people
in healthcare to appreciate the "Patient’s Perspective."
With his background as a trial attorney, and his experience
facing a terminal diagnosis as well as on-going medical struggles,
he is uniquely able to communicate to patients. As a leader in
the development of patient health information he is able to speak
to healthcare groups, their employees and members about effective
means for encouraging patients to take responsibility for their
health as well as the tools that make this happen. The Wye River
Group on Health Care has referred to Andrew as "The most effective
voice for patients in the U.S."
Andrew Robinson’s speaking topics include:
Patients/Caregivers/Consumers
· "The Patient Will See You Now" - an essential and entertaining
presentation for patients on how to navigate the health care system
and take responsibility for their treatment and recovery;
· "Finding the Needle" - A presentation of successful strategies
for patients and caregivers on how to mine the Internet to find
the critical health information they need. In the second half of
this presentation patients learn how to make use of the information
they find;
Healthcare Professionals
· "The Patient’s Perspective" - This popular presentation
takes healthcare professionals on a journey through the patient
experience - so they can appreciate and effectively address the
enormous range of issues that patients face. Powerful as well
as entertaining, the images in this presentation range from the
paintings of European masters to Alice in Wonderland. The
presentation ends with a strong message that reaffirms the
important role everyone involved in the health care system can
have on the life of one patient;
· "Engaging the Patient" - Health information that is
understandable and useable encourages patients to take responsibility
for their illness. This presentation for healthcare professionals
focuses on how to produce and/or evaluate health information
that will engage patients;
If you are looking for an effective and entertaining healthcare
presentation, contact Andrew Robinson at speakers@Patient2Patient.net
This winter Andrew Robinson will be speaking at the Consumer-Driven
Health Care Institute Expo. The CDHC Expo is the premiere event
for Consumer Directed Health Care and will be held in Las Vegas
from February 26-28, 2007. The CDHC Expo features educational
tracks of interest to employers, health plans, health care
providers, solution providers and academicians. More information
about the CDHCI and the CDHC Expo can be found on their website:
www.cdhci.org.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ Patient Best Practices Feature Article: "Knee Replacement
Surgery - What You Need to Know"~
Finding the right doctor is the first issue when you are considering
or have decided to have knee replacement surgery. In earlier
Newsletters we have discussed how to find the best doctor and
the questions to ask your doctor about surgery. You can read
these columns in our Patient2Patient Newsletter archives -
From our Home Page, www.Patient2Patient.net click on "E-Mail
Newsletters and browse our archive.
In a nutshell - you want to find a surgeon who specializes
in knee replacement surgery, rather than a surgeon who does
many kinds of joint operations. And remember, when choosing
a surgeon, skill is more important than personality.
Many people have had successful knee replacement surgery.
This makes it easy to find and talk to other patients about
their doctors and their experiences. When you speak with
other patients, ask them about their surgery and rehabilitation -
what they did and what if any problems they encountered. When
talking with other patients, you will find that everyone has
a different experience. Use what other patients have to say
as a guide, but don’t compare you progress, or experience,
to theirs.
Assuming that the surgery goes well, the most important
difference in how patients do after their surgery is
Rehabilitation. Invariably, knee replacement patients who
do early and aggressive rehabilitation do much better
than those who don’t. And patients who delay or do not do
consistent therapy after surgery can develop long term problems.
After surgery scar tissue begins to grow in and around the
knee joint. If the scar tissue is not broken up by movement -
i.e. therapy, it will become permanent and will restrict
movement in the joint.
When you speak to your surgeon, make sure there is a clear
plan for therapy in the hospital. Most important, working
with both your physician and your health plan, make sure
that there is a plan for continuing therapy as soon as you
leave the hospital. Ideally, your plan may allow you to go
to a rehabilitation hospital. If you have the opportunity,
do it. The time and effort you invest will pay off for the
rest of your life.
If you do go to a Rehabilitation hospital you can’t sit
back and take it for granted that everything is taken care
of. If your rehab hospital only offers one physical therapy
session a day then you need to learn the exercises to do on
your own for the rest of the day. If you return home after
you are released from the hospital make sure that you have
immediate therapy when you get home. Work with your therapist
so that you have a proper schedule of exercises to do on
your own.
For effective therapy, make sure you are on enough pain
medication at the start of your sessions so that you can do
the exercises. For the first few weeks ice packs will be
your best friends. It is difficult and painful at the
beginning, but the long term result is well worth it.
Again, Proper Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy make
all the difference.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~ Humor ~
These are some of our favorite recent one-liners:
My husband and I divorced over religious differences.
He thought he was God and I didn't.
Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
Being over the hill is much better than being under it.
He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead.
Ham and eggs. A day's work for a chicken. A lifetime
commitment for a pig.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ~Memoriam~
On-line communities are one of the most important means for
patients to share critical information. Most On-line patient
communities focus on the disease that their members are dealing
with. Patients share their knowledge of the most up-to-date
treatments of their disease as well as the practical sides of
living with the disease.
One of the pioneers in the development of On-line patient
communities was Tom Ferguson, M.D., known to many from his
website - Doctom.com. As a well regarded and knowledgeable
physician Tom was able to assure other physicians of the
importance and the safety of these communities. I heard him
speak on a number of occasions and he was a terrific advocate
for patient communities. Tom was also a patient. But there was
nothing about his enthusiasm, optimism and warmth that would
ever suggest that he had been ill for many years. Everyone who
has benefited from an online patient community owes a debt of
gratitude to Tom.
Tom passed away earlier this year after 15 years of battling
Lymphoma.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
We welcome your comments about this newsletter and our Patient
Medical WebGuidesTM - Feedback@patient2patient.net.
(c) Copyright 2006 Patient2Patient, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Patient2Patient, LLC, 490 Tenth Street, NYC 11215.
You are welcome to forward this issue to someone you know,
in its entirety (without cutting).
Back to Top
|
