Monthly Archives October 2016

Care For Your Mind acknowledges and appreciates the collaboration of the National Network of Depression Centers in developing this post.

Juan P. Brito Campana, M.D, MSc.
Annie LeBlanc, Ph.D.
Mayo Clinic Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit (KER)

As recent CFYM posts have indicated, shared decision making (SDM) is good for patients, doctors, and the system itself. But if we want SDM to become the norm in exam rooms nationwide, we have to support clinicians by giving them the means to make it happen.

We can do this by providing tools that allow physicians to communicate effectively and engage in meaningful conversations about their patients’ preferences, needs, and values.

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Tony Coelho, former Member of Congress, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and lifetime disability advocate

Since the age of 16, I’ve suffered from seizures. I’m now 74 and six decades of experience as a patient has taught me a lot about the healthcare system. I’ve seen firsthand how it’s evolved to suit the financial interests of the most powerful players and often ignore the needs of patients.

Unfortunately, many of the decisions that affect patient care are made at the policy level, often by bureaucrats with little or no clinical experience. When decision-makers ignore the patient perspective — including individual exam room experiences — care can become sterile, mechanized, and ineffective.

In order to create a system that better treats patients, we need legislators and decision-makers to create laws and regulations that value and support patient input. By bringing patients to the policymaking table, we can create a stronger healthcare system that addresses the needs of the individual and ensures more effective care for everyone as we move forward.

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Julie Kornack

Editor’s note: We received this post from an author who supports Hillary Clinton for President. CFYM extended an invitation to the Donald J. Trump for President campaign to submit a statement of the candidate’s positions on mental health care, but received none. Please see the note below the article for more information.

Mental health should be a nonpartisan issue; it affects nearly one of every five adults across all demographics. Each of us surely knows someone struggling with depression, schizophrenia, addiction, or another all-too-common condition. Why would there be two sides to the proposal to give people access to mental health services?

In my job, I have spent years working with both Republicans and Democrats to increase access to treatment for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and I have been fortunate to experience a great deal of bipartisanship. Ever since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, though, access to health care has become a hotly-politicized issue, with the very people who are most helped by the ACA often being the most vocal opponents of it, duped by the Republican Party to act against their own self-interest. When presidential candidates float health care proposals, they get my attention because – in a world with few sure things – this is what I know for sure: this election will change your health care.

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Based on an interview with Erica S. Spatz, MD, MHS,
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine

Imagine that you’re about to be wheeled into surgery. You’ve fasted for 24 hours, you’re in a hospital gown, and you’re awaiting the doctor’s arrival. Then the nurse brings in some paperwork, and you’re asked to sign a form acknowledging the risks of the procedure. You see some potential side effects or consequences that concern you—but at that point, how likely are you to refuse the procedure?

For many patients, that last-minute signature is the only experience they have with informed consent. Legally, however, informed consent is defined as the process in which a patient learns about and understands the purpose, benefits, and potential risks of a medical or surgical intervention.

In my view, that discussion should begin long before surgery day, so a patient has time to balance the risks and benefits before moving forward with a decision.

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