In my previous blog “Waiting for Test Results” I shared a conversation from the early 2000’s that I had with a receptionist at the cancer center about responding to inquiries for test results.
Waiting for Test Results
Those familiar with my work as a medical humanist would not be surprised to hear that I’m still having conversations with patients about the challenges of navigating the healthcare system.
20 Years Later
It’s a new year but I find myself reflecting on times past. So much for the lyrics of Auld Lang Syne, “Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind.”
What catapulted me back in time was a recent article in the Journal of The American Medical Association (JAMA) that highlighted the patient’s perspective of illness.
Vermont Center for Independent Living sponsors upcoming program
“How to Improve Communication with Doctors” Wednesday, January 15, 12:00-1:30 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bennington – 108 School Street, Bennington, VT Center for Communication in Medicine (CCM) founders, Dr. Bernard Bandman and Celia Engel Bandman, will offer a SpeakSooner® program to help patients and family caregivers prepare for conversations with healthcare providers. An […]
The Person Inside The Patient
Adrienne Barnes, a nurse diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, was featured in “Voices From The Lived World of Illness,” a video produced by the Center for Communication in Medicine. During the interview she shared her frustrations when her doctor tells her “there’s really nothing I can do for you.”
Transforming Medical Crisis into Opportunities to Find Meaning in One’s Life
The Center for Communication in Medicine, which I am a founder, decided that our next SpeakSooner Community Education Program on October 26 in Bennington would focus on the theme of transforming a medical crisis into an opportunity to find meaning and joy in one’s life. Planning this event brought to mind a woman whom I had known from time passed.
SpeakSooner® Community Education Film Series – Saturday, October 26
The Center for Communication in Medicine (CCM)’s SpeakSooner® Community Education Film Series continues on Saturday October 26, 6pm at Oldcastle Theatre, 331 Main Street, Bennington, VT 05201, with an exclusive screening of The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The SpeakSooner® film series has been hugely successful in helping to foster open and […]
Would You Prefer A Medical Fix or Good Communicator?
I recently stumbled upon an old email from a nurse with whom I worked with many years ago at the cancer center in Bennington, VT. At the time she had asked me: “Do patients, really want their doctors/nurses to be human? Or do they want them to do what they were trained to do and fix the problem?
Who is This Doctor at My Bedside?
Recently, a friend went to the emergency room with complaints of severe GI pain and was admitted to the hospital. Naturally, she was worried about the cause of her symptoms, which she had been experiencing on and off for 6 months. Under the care of her family doctor she tried several medications but none seemed to alleviate her pain entirely. Now, the doctor who she had known for many years and trusted was no longer involved in her care. Instead, a hospitalist appeared at her bedside and would be in charge of the case.
SpeakSooner® Community Forum: Re-defining Quality of Life: Living Fully With Illness, Disability and Aging
On Saturday, September 7 from 6– 8 pm the Bennington, VT-based Center for Communication in Medicine (CCM) will offer a SpeakSooner® community education forum, Re-defining Quality of Life: Living Fully With Illness, Disability and Aging at the MACK Performing Arts Center at Arlington Memorial High School in Arlington, VT. The program is free and open […]