18 columnist
The HEALTH | JULY , 2018
18 columnist
HOSPITAL SURVIVAL GUIDE
BY STUART J VENNER PACK
“ My real focus in this short article is on the patient and family members and examine some of the changes in perception that need to be made for them to be an integral , proactive part of the medical team . “
Call for patients to be proactive
HAVING managed three of Malaysia ’ s leading private hospitals , my observation , backed by evidence , is that patients in hospital are not involving themselves enough in being a part of their healthcare team , nor instrumental in understanding and therefore proactively acting on potentially risky situations . This is not to say health care providers are doing a bad job , they are working diligently under sometimes difficult situations , which is why patients and their families should be more involved in the management of their treatment .
America presented worrying statistics of how many hospital errors had led to fatalities in the healthcare environment . Over 200,000 patients in one year had died because of treatment errors , accidents or wrong procedures . Whilst alarming and frightening , many of these deaths could , and indeed should have been avoided by greater involvement of the patients and families themselves .
I am always a great believer in learning from ones ( or others ) mistakes , and therefore we should look closely at why these deaths occurred , and what could we do in Malaysia to make sure the same catastrophes do not occur here .
Data and Statistics are always a good starting point . Do we have such problems here ? Difficult to tell because not so much information is available . So , let us assume that there may be an element of the problem here , then most importantly is what are we doing to prevent an occurrence of similar statistics which are being recognised in other countries .
My real focus in this short article is on the patient and family members and examine some of the changes in perception that need to be made for them to be an integral , proactive part of the medical team . The trained staff , whether doctors , nurses or physiotherapists , are trained to do their job , but remember patients can still get involved in the process by not just complaining when something has gone wrong but be keen observers , learn about what is going on , and constantly ask questions .
Simple yes , but culture gets in the way . So what needs to be done ? Asking more questions would go a long way to keep everyone alert , but shyness and intimidation very often gets in the way . For example , more patients should ask their doctor more about what he is doing , why is he doing it , and whether there are any alternatives . Don ’ t be shy to get another opinion if you are left confused or unsure . Write down your questions , because often when in front a doctor the mind goes blank , and only when the doctor has left , or you leave the doctors room , you suddenly remember what you wanted to ask .
If something about your treatment changes , for example suddenly you are asked to take a different medication , ask why , before you take it . Medical errors are usually detected after medications have been taken , but if the patient is alert and able to question , it may avoid an error .
Stay safe in hospital , become more alert about what is going on , and get your family members involved in asking question .
Stuart J Venner Pack , is the managing director for Medical Opinion Asia .
Turmeric good for high cholesterol
HIGH cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia is a disorder that occurs when cholesterol deposits in the blood vessels of the body and obstructs blood flow through arteries and veins . This results in high blood pressure and cardiac problems such as heart attack .
Recent continually accumulating researches have medical scientist convinced that turmeric is a miracle spice .
In 2005 , the International
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Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research published in the Medical Science Monitor investigated the antioxidant and hypolipidemic benefits of curcumin in rats .
The researchers induced hypercholesterolemia in the rats by feeding them with a high-cholesterol rich diet for seven days . They later added 0.5 per cent curcumin
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to the animals ’ diet . The study results showed ; reduced serum total cholesterol by 21 per cent , |
reduced serum LDL cholesterol by 42.5 per cent and increased serum HDL cholesterol by 50 per cent .
The researchers concluded that curcumin in turmeric is the phytochemical responsible for the reduction of cholesterol levels . Additionally , they noted that curcumin reduced the levels of lip by interfering with the metabolism , absorption and excretion of cholesterol rather than by antioxidant mechanisms .
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