Integrated clinical paths have been used in heart failure patient care for years because of a simple reason: they work. Many studies have shown that an integrated approach to heart failure management—including primary and secondary care, plus support and social services—have shown that this model results in improved quality of life, symptom control, ...

Cancer patients can’t be expected to remember everything they’re told, especially when feeling anxious or scared. They may hear everything you say and remember none of it. They might nod comprehension but understand only parts of what you tell them. In 2019, more than 1.7 million Americans will hear doctors tell them they have cancer.1 Despite ...

In today’s high-cost medical environment, we talk a lot about how it’s crucial that patients and care providers work together in a strong partnership. When it works, this is the ideal—but in an alarming number of cases, the patient fails to uphold his or her end of the bargain, resulting in missed appointments, poor preparation, delayed ...

National Folic Acid Awareness Week occurs from January 7 to 13 this year, highlighting the importance of folic acid for reproductive aged women. We care about folic acid because of its association with neural tube defects (or NTD). NTDs are congenital abnormalities that affect the central nervous system and vertebrae. Out of all major congenital anomalies, ...

It was a wild year in healthcare. In 2018, the healthcare industry seemed to uncomfortably straddle two competing realities. First there is the present, where increasing costs and soaring rates of chronic disease and substance abuse are driving a desperate debate about how to best provide healthcare to our citizens. And then there is the hopeful ...

When it comes to creating informed, activated patients, there are dozens of obstacles that can make it harder for patients to participate in their own care. Studies have found that factors such as socioeconomic status, the widespread presence of mental health disorders, access to hospitals and broadband Internet, education level, and more all have ...