Friday, July 19, 2002

SOAP notes. BATHE people. We know about SOAP notes. But do we BATHE the patient? 6:49:14 AM

Tuesday, July 16, 2002

Letter of Condolence The NEJM Sounding Board article is not available for free access online. (Unfortunately only original articles are released after six months, not reviews such as this). So I will bring in paper copies. (N Engl J Med 2001;344:1162-1164). Expressing condolence humanizes a part of our work. 7:51:18 AM

Saturday, July 13, 2002

Common symptoms How do we best manage dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, constipation, anorexia, fatigue, and insomnia? Common non-pain symptoms seen every day. Here is a clinical quiz put together by Dr. Sydney Morss Dy, modified for the web. (Under construction, but ready for testing). 4:49:28 PM

Thursday, July 11, 2002

"Any advice on Do Not Resuscitate?" Here are some thoughts. You can read specific sample conversations from Drs. Lo, Quill and Tulskey (deals with palliative care, but applies to DNR). Or see the process broken down to helpful steps by Drs. Weissman and VonGunten. Even pocket cards with phrases have been tried. 9:56:22 PM

Thursday, July 4, 2002

Let Evening Come Let the light of late afternoon shine through chinks in the barn, moving up the bales as the sun moves down. Let the cricket take up chafing as a woman takes up her needles and her yarn. Let evening come. Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned in long grass. Let the stars appear and the moon disclose her silver horn. Let the fox go back to its sandy den. Let the wind die down. Let the shed go black inside. Let evening come. To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop in the oats, to air in the lung let evening come. Let it come, as it will, and don't be afraid. God does not leave us comfortless, so let evening come. "Let Evening Come" by Jane Kenyon from Otherwise: New and Selected Poems (Graywolf Press). Writer's Almanac June 12, 2002. Visit writersalmanac.com for a daily poem, some history, and dose of human creative endeavors. (For something completely different, try Dylan Thomas.) 4:46:29 PM

Tuesday, July 2, 2002

Advance Directives Your patient asks some questions about types of advanced directives. You stop and think about the terms. You know that... A Living Will (which is a set of instructions) and a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (which designates a proxy) are... 1. written by the patient 2. authorized by a physician 3. best understood by you, a physician, after you have completed your own 4. not accepted in all states A. 1,2,3 B. 1,3 C. 2,4 D. 4 Helpful for patients and yourself is a thoughtful guide from the Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. B is the answer. 7:58:30 PM

Sunday, June 30, 2002

Noontime Discussion...Your Rotation Learn about your palliative care & hospice rotation on Tuesday July 16. Pam McCabe, RN from Hospice of Cincinnati plans also to cover some basic aspects of hospice, such as how to make a referral and the concept of Partners Nurses. Pam along with Dr. Rebecca Bechold have worked to shape a variety of experiences for you at hospice, including home visits, inpatient work, and exposure to the hospice pharmacy. (Dr. Patel is rotating to Hospice this month, as part of Ambulatory.) 3:35:38 PM

© Copyright 2002 Carl Gandola. Last update: 7/19/02; 6:49:34 AM.