Book Description

Patient Practitioner Interaction seeks to bridge the communication gap between the patient and practitioner. This landmark text is designed for students and professionals ready to embark on a journey into self-awareness.By exploring the nature of our own decisions and values, Dr. Davis clearly demonstrates the consequence our own attitudes have on others.Section One addresses self-actualization and Section Two underscores the effect this has on patient interaction.Dr. Davis¡¦ goal is professional socialization¡Xthe ability of the student to evolve into a mature, caring health professional.Experts in the field address communicating with cultural sensitivity and with persons with chronic disabilities in the third edition of this core text.Educating patients on health behavior and communicating about sexuality and disability are also highlighted.Emphasis is placed on moral and ethical issues related to current changes in health care. Special Features h Each chapter begins with a set of clearly outlined objectives to identify learning goals and concludes with experiential exercises to promote goal achievement.h Specially designed to assist the process of "professional socialization," the transition of the student into the professional role of a mature, healing practitioner.h A unique and practical format that contains thought provoking exercises to evoke self-awareness and reinforce learning.h True-to-life scenarios presented for education.h Textbook is written in a workbook format for individual interaction.h Third Edition concentrates on current ethical and moral situations. ... Read more

Book Description

A patient's personal view of long term care.Seen through the eyes of a patient totally paralyzed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, this moving book takes you through the psychological and physical pain of an eleven month hospital stay. BED NUMBER TEN reads like a compelling novel, but is entirely factual.You will meet:The ICU staff who learned to communicate with the paralyzed woman - and those who did not bother.The physicians whose visits left her baffled about her own case.The staff and physicians who spoke to her and others who did not recognize her presence.The nurse who tucked Sue tightly under the covers, unaware that she was soaking with perspiration.The nurse who took the time to feed her drop by drop, as she slowly learned how to swallow again.The physical therapist who could read her eyes and spurred her on to move again as if the battle were his own.In these pages, which reveal the caring, the heroism, and the insensitivity sometimes found in the health care fields, you may even meet people you know. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Bed number Ten
This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I ordered this book by mail and recieved it on Friday afternoon and started reading it instantly. It is now sunday afternoon and I just finished it. I want so badly to talk to this lady to see how she is today!! To read how uncaring so many people were is so heart breaking to me. There were the few that took the time to be more attentive but everyone should have been that way!! I am a nurse at a Houston hospital and I see nurses and other staff act like that everyday and it breaks my heart because I am a very caring nurse and go above and beyond to help my patients. Every nurse needs to read this book to see how people can be feeling when you treat them that way!! I would recommend this book to everyone I work with and know!!

A real tearjerker!
I am an RN and all too often, patients are faced with uncaring caregivers who perceive meeting patient's needs as "too much trouble". If there is a medical person who perceives Sue as a "whiner", I would not want that person to enter my room! The book is a compelling novel, I could not put it down! It included wonderful stories of her travels and family. I wished the book was longer, I hated for it to end. I cried throughout the last portion of the book because it was so touching. The one thing I think it lacks is getting its point across to caregivers. Some caregivers are too uncaring to fully comprehend the torture Sue went through lying there day after day, unable to move or speak, being at the mercy of others. I put it on my list as one of the best books I have ever read!

I can relate as a "Fellow Comrade"
I read this book after spending five weeks in ICU, followed by four months in a Rehab Center...recuperating from Guillain Barre Syndrome. I can relate to how she had favorite nurses...so did I, and being totally paralyzed it may be hard for others to understand just how much that extra little fluff of the pillow makes after laying for eight hours in the same position. My body was very sensative, and any movement was painful...I can imagine how much more painful it was with her. The things I found hard to understand in the book were the thoughts she had in her day to day activities....oh, I would be driving by the supermarket now, on my way to pick up my best friend Bonnie...these thoughts are just hard for me to believe. I know my thoughts were like "when will these leg spasms quit...when will I walk again...when will the aching in my legs get better...when will I get out of here....how much is this costing....when is my next therapy" these were my thoughts. The book does give a good view of just how devastating GBS can be. For me....It will be 4 years this Christmas since my GBS attack, and I am still not well. From the waist up I am about 95%, and from the waist down I am about 50% which includes leg and feet numbness, muscle spasms/cramps,joint pain, and stiffness. But I feel blessed to have back as much as I do, and I pray that God will give me the strength and courage to continue my recuperation from this catastrophic illness.

Disappointing...
As an RN with an interest in medical-related writing, I started this book thinking I would be reading an inspirational account of a woman overcoming a terrifying illness.

Instead I was treated to a whine-fest of gargantuan proportions.

Yes, Sue was very ill and frightened, but instead of devoting more energy to fighting the _illness_, she seemed to focus almost entirely on separating the staff who cared for her into "good guys" and "bad guys" and presumed to project her personal judgments of insensitivity onto the staff she didn't care for.

As an RN with over ten years' experience, I felt a chilling familarity while reading this author's words. I have known many patients like this who "play favorites" with staff, and who turn against anyone who doesn't devote his/her entire shift to satisfying their every whim.

I wish I had the book right at hand to quote some of its more embarrassing passages, but it basically boils down, paraphrased, to things like,

"Oooh... why doesn't she come sooner when I call?" "Ohhhh, how come he's so rough with me..? Why can't he be like so-and-so [other therapist]?" "Waaaah! If only all these insensitive people knew what it was like to be as sick as I am!"

The perpetual whining destroyed for me any pleasure I could have derived from the knowledge that this lady got well and left the hospital almost fully recovered.

And she is (or was) traveling the country giving speeches to health care workers on how to treat patients? Please, spare me.

A page-turner
This was one I couldn't put down. It really made me think about the environment I work in, and how the residents are treated. I am a certified nursing assistant at a long-term care facility (nursing home). I really enjoy the residents there. If you're in a hurry, and you just want to get the work done, how do you think the patients feel? I try to imagine myself in the position of one of my residents,and it helps me to think more openly. I have also tried to imagine myself in Sue's position, and its difficult. Reading this book has made me a better employee, and a better person. ... Read more

Book Description

Strategies for Building Satisfying Patient Relationships

New England Healthcare Assembly

This book fills a huge void in the areas of medical education and the delivery of patient service. The clear advice about how to identify and respond to patient needs and preferences is essential reading for physicians and those who work with them.If the personal rewards of medicine are important to you, read this book.

--Joseph A. Lieberman, III, chairman, department of family and community medicine,clinical professor of family medicine, Thomas Jefferson University

This important resource describes how to develop the qualities of understanding, empathy, and compassion that help to meet and exceed patient expectations. Managing Patient Expectations is filled with realistic and cost-effective strategies for maintaining patient satisfaction, creating loyalty, and increasing referrals. Susan Keane Baker explains how to find out what patients really think and how physicians can best respond in a variety of situations. Co-published with the Healthcare Assembly Press.

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Reviews (6)

Right on Target
Susan Keane Baker has so much knowledge in this important area of health care and she shares with us her many insights and suggestions in an interesting, easy-to-read manner. This is definitely a book for all health care professionals and executives to keep on a nearby shelf as a ready reference over the years. Susan covers so many topics that are essential for patient retention, such as anticipating patient needs and preferences and making sure that patient complaints are dealt with in a timely and caring manner. As a longtime consultant in patient communication myself, I can testify that my colleague Susan has done a superb job with this book. Its all there - which makes this 5 stars for sure. It's easy to see why this book is a top seller!

Must Reading for Healthcare Professionals
There is so much valuable, pragmatic and helpful information in this book! The woefully underestimated value of listening, the best way to handle a patient complaint, creating a "patient -friendly" environment. It's all here...presented in an engaging, well organized and insightful manner. Satisfying patients goes far beyond taking surveys. I recommend this book to all my clients!

I wish I could give this book 6 stars
I bought this book after Press Ganey recommended it in their October 1999 client advisory newsletter. It's full of practical ideas that anyone working in a health care setting can use. Excellent!

Terrific and easy to read guide for any practitioner.
Just could not put it down. Gets to the issues that plague our healthcare system and helps physicians and other provider recognize the "best pratices" available to them to retain patients. Patients should enjoy this book as well to confirm their rationale for demanding medical and service excellence. It's a must read for all quality improvement directors, risk managers and administrators alike.

Excellent, practical info for anyone working in healthcare
This book offers practical information and advice on dealing with individuals in a healthcare setting. It is an excellent tool for the direct healthcare provider, as well as for those working behind the scenes. Reading this book reminded me of why I entered the healthcare profession in the first place - to make a difference. I think this book will also have great appeal to the patient who wants to be more knowledgeable about his/her healthcare and what to look for in a physician/patient relationship. Healthcare providers who pay attention to service excellence are destined for future success, and the information in this book will help you attain it! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (13)

A True Medical Mystery!
Written by Jamie Weisman, a physician-patient with a rare, hard-to-diagnose illness, the reader sees all facets of a medical mystery. What was really frightening to me was the length of time it took to diagnose Weisman's condition, despite the fact that her father, a doctor, was always there, questioning, observing, yet unable to help.

She endured years of frustration, pain, anguish, and physical deformity before being diagnosed with a congenital immune deficiency.It is controlled through monthly treatments with gamma globulin and by self-injections every few days with interferon. There is, however, no cure.

Her illness inspired Weisman to go to medical school, and she is now a physician at Emory in Atlanta. She writes eloquently about how she practices medicine while dealing with her illness. Her harrowing story makes for tough but compelling reading.

I could have done without the last sections, "Begotten" and "Begetting", or at least a shorter account of her attempts to have a child.

Otherwise this book read like a medical thriller.

Well Written and Compelling
I really couldn't put this book down once I got started, which was about 44 hours ago. This book is autobiography or memoir (I really don't know the difference) and is a quick read at 243 pages because Jamie Weisman herself is only 36 or 37 years old.

What is compelling about this book is Weisman's honest look at her congenital immune deficiency, the way she has dealt with and the way it has affected the significant people in her lives (her parents, her husband). A big part of the way that she has chosen to deal with this disease is by going to medical school and becoming a doctor. One of the most powerful passages in the book is when she writes, "...... I start medical school. I come to know far more about immune deficiencies than my father does. I find my own doctors and Emory University and begin making my own decisions about my health care...... I have relieved my father of the double burden of not only loving me while I am sick but also having to be my doctor" (pg 194). This passage is powerful for me because, to my mind, she has taken responsibility for her life, gained as much knowledge as possible about her condition, and is relying on herself to manage it.

I also really liked the fourth chapter, "All Too Human", where she talks about the inevitability of errors in medecine. Doctors are people, too; hospitals are worked in by people. Too many people just treat doctors like omniscient gods but they are not; they are limited and fallible people, like everyone else.

The third chapter, "Beautiful Failure", is mainly about a surgeon who removed a hideous lump from her face and gave her back her appearance. There is a twist and it is really a powerful and beautiful chapter.

The book lost a little steam for me in Chapters 5 and 6 though it picked up a bit after that. Weisman is now a mother and the final chapter "Begetting", is mainly about her struggles to become pregnant and her fears of complications due to her condition.

All in all, a courageous struggle, an interesting look at the practice of medecine and an honest look inside one person, and her family's, life.

...

an enlightening account
After witnessing the painful treatment and deaths of my in-laws recently, I was most interested in the author's account of her unbearable pain when her face was infected, and the problem she had in obtaining relief. She was a doctor herself and the staff knew her--yet she still had to beg for hours for relief. When will the medical profession treat pain adequately? I am disappointed that after enduring so much pain that she does not recognize this need. Overall, her courage is admirable, and we need more doctors who have endured chronic illness to write accounts that enlighten the general public.

Beautiful, Elegant, & Wise! A TERRIFIC MEMOIR!
I feel lucky to have been able to read this absolutely exquisite, yet at times gut wrenching, personal memoir, by a very gifted author who, it should be noted, is over twenty years younger than me. As one who has a very limited real life knowledge of medical life and death, it was an eye opener to (what sometimes seems) a completely different world. This is not only a sublime course in medical history and ethics, but a harrowing landscape of how the body can go wrong in myriad ways, and how the medical profession works its genius. The author has been through it from both sides too, and does not flinch in the telling. Not to be missed! Having read thousands of great books in nearly all fields, this is among the all-time best!

Illness is honest
Dr. Weisman provides an insightful look into the unique life of a "patient-doctor" in As I Live and Breathe. She battles a chronic, severe immune system illness, at the same time juggling a medical career that is both rewarding and disheartening. The fight for life is sometimes won and sometimes lost, but she keeps a positive attitude through it all. This comes from the exceptional experience that she encounters everyday, through her disease. She uses the knowledge that she has gained from her own illness to create compassion and true sympathy for the patients that she treats. This is unique; this is where most doctors are lacking. She shows both the understanding and knowledge that is rare in the medical profession.
This autobiography is not only about health and medical experience. It is about everything any human being encounters: marriage, childbearing, dealing with the loss of a loved one, and all the trials that comes with them. Dr. Weisman simply puts a spin on life, expressing it to the audience from a different point of view. She ponders on the unique perspectives of all the patients and families that she treats, and finds a positive force in all of them. She learns from her mistakes to help them better their lives. In a way, it is a sort of cycle, both parties feeding off the other.
The power of family is important, she says; it provides an amazing support system for a patient that is much needed. She speaks fondly of her own family and the support that they provide, giving them credit for their undying courage and love. In wonder, she says, "I have never had to stand by and watch a loved one suffer the way my family has stood by me." She also admires her husband, saying, "[There was a] mix of joy I felt at asking another human being to share in the ambiguity of my life. I credit my husband with tremendous courage in loving me, someone whose future is from the start more fragile than others'." The relationship between family and patient is extraordinary, and Weisman does a wonderful job of depicting this with the sheer honesty that comes with an illness.
This book is truly inspirational; the author takes the incredible situation that she is in, and turns it into a masterpiece of insight into the human mind. It expresses the core of the human spirit and everything it can endure. It shows the reader that one can overcome any obstacle and make light of a seemingly dark situation. It also proves that "bad days" are acceptable and "good days" are even better. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a good, honest read. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

A manual written for health care professionals who care for patients from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. First developed by doctors and nurses at Children's Hospital in Boston, it contains detailed, practical information for working with dozens of religious and cultural groups and is designed to help providers best meet needs of their ethnically diverse patients while satisfying stringent new regulatory standards for culturally sensitive care. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive text focuses on communication, learning theories, and the practical application of therapeutic communication in various patient situations. This 2nd edition text presents in detail basic communication skills and approaches that are appropriate for use with all age groups. Chapters related to learning theories, the understanding of growth and development of each age group, and the recognition of defense mechanisms provide an awareness of the critical elements involved in therapeutic communication. The information in this revised version is clearly presented in a sequential manner that is easily transferred to real-life situations. Knowledge gleaned from this text is helpful in any allied health profession.A wide variety of client profiles and appropriate therapeutic responses are presented for stress, anger, suicide, depression, drug dependency, abuse, loss, grief, SAD and postpartum depression.(Defensive, depressed, abuse, health, Allied Health, communication, therapy, patient) ... Read more

Book Description

In this eye-opening look at the doctor-patient decision-making process, physician and law professor Jay Katz examines the time-honored belief in the virtue of silent care and patient compliance. Historically, the doctor-patient relationship has been based on a one-way trust--despite recent judicial attempts to give patients a greater voice through the doctrine of informed consent. Katz criticizes doctors for encouraging patients to relinquish their autonomy, and demonstrates the detrimental effect their silence has on good patient care. Seeing a growing need in this age of medical science and sophisticated technology for more honest and complete communication between physician and patients, he advocates a new, informed dialogue that respects the rights and needs of both sides.

In a new foreword to this edition of The Silent World of Doctor and Patient, Alexander Morgan Capron outlines the changes in medical ethics practice that have occurred since the book was first published in 1984, paying particular attention to the hotly debated issues of physician-assisted suicide and informed consent in managed care. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Are patients informed about their health care? Not always.
I read this book years ago, and came to Amazon.com to try to purchase it. How delighted I am to see that it is being reprinted for publication.

Though it was written a long time ago, its central conclusion is still valid. All too often, patients are not fully informed about health care interventions recommended to them by doctors. Thus, they often choose to undergo treatments that subject them to painful, demoralizing consequences that they were just not told could happen. Katz's examples may seem dated. For example, how many of us even remember the daily news reports of Dr. Barney Clark's tragic events after he became the first man to receive an artificial heart. But the paternalism he describes, the failure to trust that people can make good choices regarding their personal health care when fully informed still exists as we approach the millenium. How else to explain the hue and outcry when an NIH consensus conference failed to simply recommend mammograms ! for women aged 40 to 49? When they recommended that doctors talk to their patients, and that the patients then decide for themselves what is best for them, they were lambasted. To me, the world of doctor and patient is still all too often silent. And as the mammography example demonstrates, those who advocate breaking the silence are often treated badly.

The Silent World of Doctor and Patient is well-written. It discusses the all too common failure of doctors to fully inform their patients about the risks they undertake when they recommend treatments. It tries to explain why such is the case. It reveals the sometimes horrible consequences that can befall patients when medical treatment goes awry.

I highly recommend this book, especially to medical students, doctors in training, and all who believe that patients should be fully informed about the medical care that has the power to harm as well as to heal. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Unique on this topic !
Nice try, was looking for such kinda book for long .. i m not a medical person but love to study such kinda topic. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Reference Standard
Intended to be a compendium of handouts for physicians to give to patients, Griffith's Instructions provides information on a wide variety of illnesses. From croup to tooth grinding, this book covers maladies both small, i.e. indigestion, and large, i.e. congestive heart failure, in a consistent, matter-of fact presentation. All of the perforated, pull out discussions include basic descriptions of the illness, including the frequent signs and symptoms, a brief synopsis of possible causes, risks, preventative measures, expected outcomes, and possible complications. Treatments are also discussed through both general measures and medications with notes on recommended activity and diet. The 6th edition revises and updates all of the problems that patients regularly bring to their doctors discussed in the 5th edition and adds more than twenty new ones.

Extensive appendices provide diets, including the latest food pyramid guidelines, daily values, nutrition data and specific diet regimes. There are also a plethora of diagrams and instructions for wellness, such as how to perform breast and testicular self-exams. Unlabeled diagrams of the body, ranging from eye to the endocrine system (both male and female) are also provided. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a revised and expanded edtion of a classic in palliative medicine, originally published in 1991. With three added chapters and a new preface summarizing our progress in the area of pain management, this is a must-hve for those in palliative medicine and hospice care. The obligation of physicians to relieve human suffering stretches back into antiquity. But what exactly, is suffering? One patient with metastic cancer of the stomach, from which he knew he would shortly die, said he was not suffering. Another, someone who had been operated on for a mior problem--in little pain and not seemingly distressed--said that even coming into the hospital had been a source of pain and not suffering. With such varied responses to the problem of suffering, inevitable questions arise. Is it the doctor's responsibility to treat the disease or the patient? And what is the relationship between suffering and the goals of medicine? According to Dr. Eric Cassell, these are crucial questions, but unfortunately, have remained only queries void of adequate solutions. It is time for the sick person, Cassell believes, to be not merely an important concern for physicians but the central focus of medicine. With this in mind, Cassell argues for an understanding of what changes should be made in order to successfully treat the sick while alleviating suffering, and how to actually go about making these changes with the methods and training techniques firmly rooted in the doctor's relationship with the patient.Dr. Cassell offers an incisive critique of the approach of modern medicine. Drawing on a number of evocative patient narratives, he writes that the goal of medicine must be to treat an individual's suffering, and not just the disease. In addition, Cassell's thoughtful and incisive argument will appeal to psychologists and psychiatrists interested in the nature of pain and suffering. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A classic gets better
The first edition is already a classic in its exploration of the nature of suffering. "Bodies do not suffer, only persons suffer." is a central concept. The text examines the doctor patient relationship, what diseases are, how understandings of disease have changed over time, how the unique and particular nature of the sick person influences all diseases and how they are cared for. How we know who a person is. Why medicine is changing its focus from the disease to the sick or well person. The new edition has three new chapters that focus on the mind-body problem, social contribution to sickness and dying, and how pain and other symptoms are inevitably personalized. And how suffering arises from the sickness and its personalization. It is a well-written,rich and exciting book.

Very helpful for sufferers of chronic illness.
The author identifies the effects of chronic and acute illness on each integral part of the sufferer, and describes personal attributes/approaches of patients that enhance their ability to live with their condition. This book is an inspiring insight into strategies for finding new meaning in life after loss of mobility and during years of living with chronic pain. I refer to it each time my condition has worsened my outlook; it never fails to help me find new strength.

I would recommend it to doctors, patients, and counsellors. ... Read more

Book Description

Chart a Course to Excellence

Sponsored by The American College of Physician Executives

A much-needed, practical guide to giving and receiving feedback . . . a guide that is essential to the successful conduct of one of humanity's most important activities?productive conversation.
--Edgar H. Schein, Sloan Fellows professor of management emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management

Managing relationships, building trust, and communicating effectively are all essential skills to improving performance and ensuring the quality of patient care. This timely book offers the tools and techniques necessary to face the challenges of being a leader and resolving conflicts to produce win-win outcomes.

Irwin M. Rubin and Thomas Campbell show how to eliminate the pitfalls of traditional feedback approaches and enhance the win-win quality of all communication. With vignettes, a case study, and pithy cartoons, the authors detail two dynamic tools to help chart a course to excellence in giving and receiving championship-level feedback. Their integrated four-phase feedback model and practical behavioral tools provide the ingredients essential to plan for and learn from our daily experiences.

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Reviews (4)

The definitive physician's guide to effective communication.
This book could easily have been retitled: what I really should have learned in medical school about effective communication...but never did. The authors present an effective framework for not only learning basic communication skills, but for understanding the more fundamental behaviors which drive our language and communications. Always balancing their message with a caring, sensitive clinical perspective, (including several "right on target" examples) their message should hit home with every physician and caring professional who chose the healing arts as a labor of love, passion, caring and commitment. All too often, in today's healthcare environment financial pressures seem to take us further away than ever from the patient...changing us from patient advocate to adversary. The frustration is further heightened by the sense that "nobody really listens to us anymore." This book lays out a coherent, comprehensive, and compassionate approach to communication which, at its best, should enable and empower us to hear and be heard more effectively - not only with our patients, but with our colleagues, other healthcare industry leaders, and our families. I heartily recommend this book!!!

Incredible resource for those committed to personal growth!
Our body system is nature's most perfect creation, balanced by intricate systems of feedback and communication. Our personal lives and organizational lives are often devoid of feedback; somehow we have lost these essential skills. This book teaches us how to become Aware of our Behavior and its Consequences through an eloquent description of how healthy feedback can change us personally and corporately. As a Family Physician and teacher of Family Physicians, I am certain that the ability to give and receive feedback promotes more healthy relationships. This is the essence of sustainable growth and change. We all have the power to change ourselves and this book is a good way to start that process!

Must reading for executive who wants to help others succeed
The authors summarize their vast experience teaching executives how to give feedback to others...whether they be subordinates or equals. What needs to be fed back? How to "package" that feedback? What barriers keep us from trying? Why do we all think we are good at this basic function, when most of us are miserable and uncomfortable at it? This guidebook tells us how to do it and more importantly, tell us why we must. It stimulates and challenges and ends up inspiring us. It makes it fun. Our professional life is like our personal life. We have a duty to make others better and more productive. We need to invite others to help us to improve. Without feedback, there is no learning. Without constant learning, we stagnate. If we stagnate, our life was not worth living. So this book helps us to be better human beings. Read this book, then reread it. It's like a fine wine, getting richer with age.

A useful gem of wisdom!
As a consultant and trainer, I found "The ABC's of Effective Feedback" to be so very useful to all my work in Career Development. I have advised all 35 trainers who work with me to read it so they can use its gems of wisdom in their delivery as well. ... Read more

Book Description

With the changing climate surrounding infertility services, we may soon find that infertility counseling is mandated by law or recommended by practice guidelines. Therefore, clinicians urgently need a comprehensive reference on infertility counseling. This softcover edition of Burns and Covington's comprehensive handbook was developed especially for physicians and mental health professionals. It represents a new kind of clinical textbook, necessitated by today's rapidly advancing reproductive technologies and by the complexity of issues facing infertile couples. The book contains nine multi-chapter sections that cover the psychological and medical aspects of infertility, assessment, treatment, counseling, third-party reproduction, alternative family building, post-infertility counseling, and the professional practice of infertility counseling. The editors and contributors all have extensive clinical, research, and educational experience in reproductive medicine and the psychological aspects of infertility. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Can't refer to a specialist? Use this book!
When managed care makes it impossible to refer a client to someone who specializes in infertility, here is the book that will make you feel confident about your work. And when you don't have time to read a whole book at once, here is the book that allows you to choose the chapters you need when you need them. The impressive array of interdisciplinary experts follow the same format in each chapter, making cross-references for the reader very easy. This book is truly comprehensive, including topics such as "Special Populations" and "Adoption after Infertility", along with the practical guidelines we all want but which are often lost amidst theory and statistics in other books. The appendices and resource section are especially impressive. There are questionnaires, guidelines, consent forms, and a record-keeping form. The resources section has over 20 pages ofdouble-column entries. The authors have organized a stunning amount of information in a way that is useful to clinicians new to infertility issues and to those with experience who want to learn more

An indispensible resource for infertility counselors.
Burns and Covington's book has been very helpful in my practice. "Seasoned" clinicians as well as practitioners with less experience working with infertile clients will find the information presented valuable. ... Read more

Book Description

The real crisis in medicine today is not about economics, insurance, or managed care--it's about the loss of the fundamental human relationship between doctor and patient. In this wise and passionate book, one of our most eminent physicians reacquaints us with a classic notion often overlooked in modern medicine: health care with a human face, in which the time-honored art of healing guides doctors in their approach to patient care and their use of medical technology.

Drawing on four decades of practice as a cardiologist and a vast knowledge of literature and medical history, Dr. Lown probes the heart and soul of the doctor-patient relationship. Insightful and accessible to all, The Lost Art of Healing describes how true healers use sympathetic listening and touch to hone their diagnostic skills, how language affects the perception of illness, how doctors and patients can cultivate a relationship of trust, and how patients can obtain the most complete and beneficial care through a combination of healing techniques and conventional practices.

As Dr. Lown explains, the art of healing does not mean abandoning the spectacular advances of modern science, but rather incorporating them into a sensitive, humane, enlightened approach to medical care. With its urgent message and poignant, fascinating vignettes, The Lost Art of Healing is a book of vital, universal importance.
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Reviews (7)

Helping physicians recapture their focus
I bought a copy for myself, and now I am trying to give a copy to everybody I know who is involved in patient care. Most of us went into the medical field with noble aspirations to take care of others and in doing so, to grow ourselves as human beings. The process of going through a medical education debases in many respects our initial aspirations. I read this book and found myself recentered. Dr. Lown approaches medicine as an opportunity to glean from the people for whom he cares. The book is filled with anecdotes gathered from decades of doctoring. The stories lead the reader along the same journey that the author has taken in coming to a sense of himself as a healer. The characters whom have filled his life are interesting and the story of Dr. Lown's personal journey from medical student, to researcher to teacher and master clinician, is fascinating. I highly recommend this book. It has changed the way that I approach my work and given me a zest for opportunities to grow in this profession.

An Inspirational work for Aspiring Medical Students
In a profession dominated increasingly by science and technology, it is heartening to hear a courageous voice who spoke forcefully and emphatically against the dehumanization of medicine and for the urgent need to return to the traditional ethos of medicine. This coming no less from a physician of Dr Lown's stature and credentials, a technological wizard who had given the world the first cardioverter and DC defribillator. and yet managed to stay aloof and above the lure of medical scientific and technical sophistry which had captured the awe and fantasy of many of today's medical students and doctors alike. Debunking the myth of the omnipotence of clinical medicine, Dr Lown sought to reconcile the divide between the art and science of medicine, advocating a more humane approach towards the management of patients. He is both a philosopher and a healer, equipped with an open mind and divergent mindset extending beyond the normal confines of medical practice. As a young medical student struggling with the heavy workload imposed by an explosion of medical scientific knowledge, Dr Lown's book is thought-provoking and inspiring, a timely reminder that knowledge and academic grades are merely a means to an end and that human qualities such as empathy, compassion and a sound understanding of the human condition is not only crucial in medical practice, but must be reinforced and developed in the impressionable medical student navigating through rigors and constraints of his studies and training.

Outstanding medical humanism
This is an incredible book. Written by the cardiologist who helped bring us DC cardioversion, and lidocaine for arrhythmias, it surprisingly focuses on the human aspects of medicine.

He makes several critical points: the most important task for us as physicians is to first listen to our patients. He encourages us to make our diagnoses and prognoses on the basis of careful history taking and examination, rather than by laboratory testing. He also exhorts us to take the responsibility of appropriately reassuring and encouraging our patients, rather than just always hedging our bets to cover our malpractice worries.

The book is very well written and edited, and contains dozens of fascinating doctor/patient vignettes. He explores the boundaries of the patient/doctor relationship, and is well aware of the times it leads him astray.

He is not afraid to interject his personal religious philosophy (as an agnostic from a Jewish background) but respects those with other opinions.

This text contains far more valuable information for physicians than any biochemistry or histology text. Hopefully wise Deans will make it required reading for their medical school

Thomas H. Bracken MD Onamia MN

a reader from japan age 23
I happen to know this book at library. At that time I read this in Japanese, but I was realy moved what the aouther says. Now I am learning about oriental medicine and I realized the importance about talking and thinking with paitents. Since my knoweledge about hearts is very poor, I cannnot understand medical things. But this book will be my bible, so I will try to read also in English. I just want to say thank you to the aouthor and let he know thatthere are many acupuncturists who want to act to the patients like you. Thank you very much.

An encouragement to get to the human side of medicine.
This book is such a stimulus to refocus on the human side of our patients, and some helps on how to do it. The cases are poignant in their revealing of those loveable traits of our fellow man. I could hardly wait to get back to the office. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent ready reference
Very useful for health care practitioners and Hospital Chaplains who need an easily assessible answer to common areas of Spiritual concern for various faith groups. I showed my fellow Chaplain Interns this book and they are all ordering it.

A Decent Introduction to Multicultural beliefs and health
I am a hospice chaplain and pastor. I have found the book to be helpful in providing a very basic overview of some of the major cultural customs and beliefs regarding health and illness. Kirkwood, a protestant Christian chaplain, touches on the surface of some of the major facets of a broad sampling of religions and what they believe about health and illness. My main criticism of the book is that it does not give a thorough, or entirely accurate portrayal of all the different religious cultures that Kirkwood claims to address. There is such a plurality of beliefs and customs- even within one faith tradition, that a book of this scope is grossly inadequate, even for lay readers. You WILL learn some basic, very general guidelines- for instance general dietary concerns, attitudes towards autopsies and transfusions,etc. My greatest fear with this book is that healthcare professionals- or even chaplains will pick it up or another book like it and after reading it think that they know what a patient or family member would want based on what religious background they are affiliated with. Your best resource for understanding a patient or family member's needs- religious or otherwise is still TO ASK THEM. The best way to understand another person's cultural beliefs is to allow them to educate us. Anton Boisen, the pioneer of modern Clinical Pastoral Education, once said that we are all "living human documents." In other words, general cultural knowledge is well and good, but it can NEVER relieve us, as caring professionals of the responsibility to properly inform, and learn the needs of those whom we serve- namely patients and family members. Ask them what their needs are, inform them properly, and give them the autonomy and respect they deserve.

A must have for all hospitals!
As a director of nurses, I found this book to be an invaluable tool when teaching staff about cultural diversity. I attached this convienently pocket-sized book in nursing manuals on all of our patient care areas. This book covers most of the demographic populations that we serve. I highly recommend this book for healthcare workers in today's ever changing climate!

Excellent! A must-read for doctors, nurses and chaplains.
There are times when dealing with someone facing a major illness or death that a wall comes up between the professional care-giver and the person. Without knowing it, the care-giver may have crossed over into a taboo discussion area. Or the person may be stressed over having a religious rule violated. This book will be a great help to anyone who serves people of different faiths and cultures in times of crisis. Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Japanese faiths,and the Baha'i are some of the faiths covered with sensitivity and respect. Practical, useable information is passed on in a succinct, very readable style. For a little book, it packs a lot. Highly, highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Sometimes just 5-minutes can make the difference! No reference will be more essential than the time saving 5-Minute Patient Advisor. This text has been enormously successful because it meets clinicians’ need for vital need-to-know information in a no-nonsense format! The book contains concise, complete patient information sheets about medical/surgical conditions, based on the expert advice in Griffith's 5-Minute Clinical Consult, 2001 and written in easily understandable terms. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Excellent resource for all health care providers!
The entire "5 minute consult" series is incredible. Easy to use and up to date ... you can't ask for much more than that in today's chaotic health care arena. Thanks to Lippincott for publishing such a necessary yet accurate product.

La respuesta JUSTA en el momento JUSTO
Soy medico de Familia y el tiempo en la consulta medica en muy valioso pues veo muchos pacientes en el dia. El "Griffiths 5 Minute" me soluciono este inconveniente para mi y mis colegas pues es muy facil de encontrar lo que busco y define mi conducta frente a los problemas e inquietudes de mis pacientes. EXCELENTE!

5 minute consultant
it is a handy book . Gives practical points in different titles. good book for quick reference.

Absolute must have for primary care providers
This book is essential in todays 15 min appt times to aid in quick workups of problems, speedy diagnosis and treatment of the problem.

Great source for medical information for medical personal
This volume is a needed manual for the health care provider. The general information on disease processes are invaluable. Everything needed for charting up through ICD9 coding for insurance is covered. A must have volume! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

More In-Depth Please!
I found the book very shallow and typical. The book barely scratches the surface of this complex subject. Definately NOT worth the money.

Offers intercultural trainers one more solid learning tool.
Rena Gropper has selected a proven tool, the cultural assimilator for addressing critical incidents faced by healthcare professionals in increasingly diverse patient/caregiver relationships. In Section One, the Introduction, she explains her choice of this method and rebaptizes it "intercultural sensitizer." Rightly so, as it's purpose is less to encourage assimilation, than to alert clinicians to the dynamics of difference in healthcare encounters.

Section Two contains 43 (my count -- it would have helped to number them) critical incidents that involve largely Asian, Latin, Native American, African American, Rom Gypsy and Muslim patients and professionals. There are representative questions from other cultures as well. Section Three gives the user feedback on his or her choices for each situation. Finally, Section Four revisits cultural behaviors briefly but coherently by topic and ties them into a general perspective.

Until too recently cultural information about patient-caregiver interactions was buried in medical monographs and professional journals, at best handed on by cognoscenti to their interns and associates. Diversity programs have been largely aimed at workplace relationships, not diverse patient needs.

Journalist Lynn Payer popularized the cultural side of medicine in 1988 in her informative and entertaining, Medicine and Culture. Starting in the early 1990's Suzanne Salimbene's series on What Language Does Your Patient Hurt In? signaled a healthy trend to providing practical cross-cultural training for caregivers. Her more recent Multicultural HealthCare Calendar and HealthCare DIVERSOPHY training game show the field beginning to mature. Rena Gropper's Culture and the Clinical Encounter offers educators and trainers one more solid learning technology. ... Read more