5 min video: SECOND OPINION | Ovarian Cancer | PBS

Note: the video seems to take a bit of time to load (patience req'd);

An apple (and four other fruit and vegetables) a day… : The Lancet

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - Questions Are the Answer: Build Your Question List

Note: general

IAPO: Patient Involvement in Health Policy, Systems and Delivery | A global voice for patients

Why is Patient Involvement in Health Policy Important? Healthcare policy decisions, at whatever level they are made, will ultimately affect patients' lives. Therefore patients have a moral and ethical right to play a meaningful role in developing healthcare policies.

Dying at home: community nurses' views on the impact of informal carers on cancer patients' place of death European Journal of Cancer Care

Note: abstract; one of the few articles which challenges mainstream research discussing the issues of dying at home and the wishes of patients/caregiver.

A Revision Of The EU Clinical Trials Directive Supported By European Cancer Organization

"Certain groups of patients have been particularly hard hit: children, patients with rare cancers, patients who would profit greatly from international trials that optimise already existing treatments and which, therefore, do not find commercial sponsorship, and elderly patients with other health problems, including secondary cancers due to earlier treatments."

Why doctors' stories matter

"...As I read the winning stories, I had a fantasy, which is probably not a good idea to apply literally, but it’s useful as what philosophers would call a thought experiment. My fantasy was that in a doctor’s waiting room, instead of old magazines and public health brochures, patients might pick up stories that the doctor had written—stories not unlike these winning stories. And maybe patients would then bring in their stories and leave copies of those on the rack next to the doctor’s stories. That would open the silent world on both sides."

Does computer use in patient-physician encounters influence patient satisfaction?

full free access: Type D personality in the general population: a systematic review of health status, mechanisms of disease, and work-related problems

"Type D personality in the general population: a systematic review of health status, mechanisms of disease, and work-related problems."

full free access: Is no news good news? Inconclusive genetic test results in BRCA1 and BRCA2 from patients and professionals' perspectives

Small study but included view of patients and physician views.

Doctor and Patient - Holding Doctors Accountable for Medical Errors - NYTimes.com

Editorial Comment: The emphasis of this article seems to place a rather large burden on physicians which is not totally warranted.

Doctor and Patient - Holding Doctors Accountable for Medical Errors - NYTimes.com

Q. What is a major patient safety area that still needs to be addressed?
A. Ten years ago, we approached patient safety as a series of system flaws; we believed that most errors were committed by good competent people doing something no more complicated than forgetting a cellphone. But in the last few years some of us in the patient safety field have begun to feel uneasy about that approach. When there are reasonably safe standards available, what do you do when people simply don’t adhere to them? At some point, it’s no longer a “systems problem.”

(original article) full access: patient involvement Active patient involvement in the education of health professionals

response to prior letter: HINI and Cancer

Note/background: Please reference prior blog postings Nov 1-5th, 2009  regarding the apparent lack of access to care of an ovarian cancer woman and the systemic issues surrounding the H1N1.

email response (better late than never) December 2, 2009 4:57 pm:

"Thank you for writing and bringing to my attention your concerns regarding the government’s handling of the H1N1 vaccine roll out. As you are aware, the vaccine is now available to all members of the public.
Your views and comments are appreciated and helpful to my work as Leader of Canada’s New Democrats.
Between the conflicting messages, queue jumping, and sole sourced contracts; we feel the federal government could have done a better job handling the distribution of the vaccine. NDP Health Critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis continues to be our lead on this issue and you can review her work by visiting: http://www.judywl.ndp.ca/news/health.

Looking forward, we will continue to press the federal government to take a proper role in helping Canadians stay healthy and providing access to treatment when needed through:

- promoting healthy living
- hiring and training more doctors and nurses
- creating a pan-Canadian home care program
- ensuring prescription medicines are affordable

If you are interested in our plans to improve health care in Canada, I encourage you to check for details here: http://www.ndp.ca/platform/healthcare.

Again, thank you for sharing your views and comments as they helpful to my work as Leader of Canada’s New Democrats. All the best.

Sincerely,
Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats"

Tying up loose ends: discharging patients with unresolved medical issues

Tying up loose ends: discharging patients with unr...[Arch Intern Med. 2007] - PubMed Result