QuoteThe study, "Socioeconomic Disparities in the Economic Impact of Childhood Food Allergy," appearing the May 2016 issue of Pediatrics (published online April 25) examined the degree of disparities in direct medical and out-of-pocket costs associated with food allergy across socioeconomic groups.
QuoteFor example, the authors cite the cost of epinephrine auto-injectors as an economic burden to low-income families, so they are less likely to purchase them
QuoteCPIC uses a community-based research approach to build community capacity to improve the quality of life of clients with depression in under-resourced communities of color through rigorous partnered research. This collaboration occurs among many community-based agencies, social services, and health care organizations for communities of color, especially African Americans and Latinos in Los Angeles County.
Quotewhen I was being discharged from CCU (the Intensive Care unit in cardiology), not one of the cardiac nurses, residents or cardiologists who cared for me during my post-heart attack hospitalization had said one word to me about any of the important and commonly-experienced psychosocial issues on this list.
QuoteSuch real life issues are simply not the concern of most of our health care providers.
Quote
"A cancer diagnosis often causes patients and families considerable distress in numerous aspects of their lives. There are many resources available to help patients financially, psychosocially, and practically, but patients need to know about them or to be referred by members of their care team," Sonet told Medscape Medical News. "Oncology professionals should screen patients for distress at every visit, become informed about available resources, and learn how to connect patients to the support services they need.
Quote"This is a multifaceted problem, says Dr. Ramsey. "We may need to consider policies that reduce out-of- pocket costs, preserve insurance, and protect job security for persons with cancer."
Oncology practitioners likely will have to consider financial implications when formulating treatment plans. This is not currently the common practice.
QuoteThe results, published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine, underscore the fact that some aspects of health are controlled by factors outside the medical system. And yet, doctors are increasingly being held accountable when their patients miss their targets for things like blood sugar and cholesterol, the study authors noted.
QuoteCompared with patients who didn't have to worry about where their next meal would come from, patients with food insecurity were 97% more likely to have high blood sugar and high levels of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol – two signs that their diabetes was not under control.
QuoteTheir health insurance company declined to cover the treatment.
"They declined, saying that it wasn't a matter of life and death," said Pamela Griffin, recounting the rejection. "And Courtney said, 'This drug is going to kill me.' She knew."
QuoteThe problem with these wait lists, as Dean Lemire's experience makes very clear, is that moment of clarity when someone who is in the grip of these drugs reaches out for help can be fleeting. And the system as it exists now isn't always there with a warm embrace.
QuoteThe hard part of living with diabetes for me is the psychosocial impact. It's the cognitive burden of trying to manage a disease so insidious and pervasive and never getting a break from it.
Quotemy disease is not a punch line
Quotefinding a community of people who "get it"
QuoteI recently had the opportunity to moderate a fascinating discussion at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on the role of the health care system in addressing poverty.
QuoteCancer & poverty: When a reporter's journey becomes part of the story. ksj.mit.edu/tracker/2014/1... via @KSJTracker
QuoteWas Anderson wrong to have become involved? Ordinarily, we'd say yes. We depend on reporters' objectivity to get the straight story. But Anderson is writing at a time when we're questioning journalism orthodoxy.
QuoteWinship physicians are first-rate, but the issues the poor with cancer face go beyond individual, caring physicians.
QuoteI don't love being around sick people, and I had discovered, I really wasn't wild about being around poor ones, either. I was working through those things, but I was taken aback by the realization that there really was no one else for Donna.
QuoteA fourth Los Angeles-area hospital in less than three years has settled a lawsuit over a chronic problem in the nation's second-largest city — turning homeless patients out on the streets after they have been discharged, sometimes while still needing medical attention.
QuoteWe can't ignore patients' complex social situations in assessments, treatments if we hope to improve outcomes. nej.md/1oEw86z
QuoteResearch has established that social environments affect human health.
QuoteApplying social science principles to medicine — a practice sometimes called "social medicine" — enables us to contextualize patient care to achieve more sustainable and equitable health outcomes.
QuoteAlthough the patient is traditionally the focus of clinical care, acknowledgment of effects on the family suggests a better approach. Considering the family as a whole in clinical decisions and treatment plans can provide direct benefits to the patient, and family members deserve care — medical and psychological — as well. The intertwined relationships within a family unit can help optimize outcomes when interests are aligned but can create problems of allegiance when interests
QuoteThis wrenching experience gave Basu a first-hand appreciation for the social determinants of health—the conditions in which people live and the myriad internal and external forces that dynamically shape them.
QuoteHe will address a host of issues, ranging from whether affordable housing programs can help lower-income people with asthma better control the condition to whether welfare programs have an influence on the health of single mothers.
Quote"How can I best help you?" I routinely ask this question at the beginning of visits to get the best sense of how to frame that day's interaction. However, in this instance, my question was one of desperation.
QuoteMischel's story isn't surprising—nicotine is addictive, and quitting is difficult—except for one thing: Mischel is the creator of the marshmallow test, one of the most famous experiments in the history of psychology, which is often cited as evidence of the importance of self-control.
QuoteGently but firmly, I watched as the other patients told her something no professional would have dared
QuoteSix months after that, her diabetes was under perfect control, for the first time in decades.
QuoteThe traditional medical visit, which lasts fifteen minutes and focuses on medical facts, often doesn't allow space for effective behavior change approaches. And medical practices do not routinely screen for social drivers of health, such as housing, education, and financial stress — all of which can prematurely cause chronic illness.
Quote4 new videos from the Unmentionables panel at #health2con - @paintmd @DrKentBradley @VictorStrecher @MaureenMosaic bit.ly/1EOwdyN
QuoteThe Unmentionables panel at Health 2.0 addressed issues we don't talk about in public but which deeply affect our health and well-being.