Filed in archive
Travel Planning
on June 22, 2010
©
US Army Africa
Filed in archive
Medicine
on June 7, 2010
©
adria.richards
Many doctors actually appreciate the fact that patients are trying to take a more active role in making decisions about their health care. The amount of medical information out there is so large physicians will simply not have the time to look up every published article on different medical conditions their patients encounter. By doing their research patients can now bring medical information that would have been easily missed a few years ago to their doctors' attention.
The availability of online medical data also allows patients to be more conscientious about their health and informed about their diseases. These days virtually all doctors have patients who search for health information online and more than two-thirds of physicians actually approve of this behavior.
Given that the majority of doctors support those who take a pro-active stance with their health, why would some patients perceive physicians as hostile to their empowerment?
But patients also have to be careful when dealing with their doctors. One problem is that most physicians simply do not have the luxury of time to engage in detailed conversations about different medical strategies they may take in dealing with an ailment. The reason? Their doctors' work environment is just not conducive for such discussions. The physician's environment usually revolves around 15-minute office visits and this means patients are often interrupted during the first 20 seconds after they start talking. Doctors often do not have enough time to spend with patients. Increasing practice costs pressure doctors into seeing more and more patients in a regular work day.
Doctors now often fail to develop medically meaningful long-term relationships with their patients. This leaves many patients angry while their doctors are also getting frustrated. And while other industries have embraced e-mail and digital record keeping, doctors have little financial incentive to use them. A primary care physician who normally deals with 30 patients in a day and then has spend hours addressing insurance issues simply will not have time to e-mail patients.
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Emergency Preparedness
, Natural Calamity
on May 21, 2010
©
whologwhy
One of the important things to do before another tragedy strikes is to prepare the materials that will help the family to survive for a week or so. There are prepared emergency survival kits out there that can be purchased. Anyhow, it is still best to have your own list:
- Water (the volume of water depends on the number of people. It is estimated to prepare 5 gallons of water per person to survive for about a week)
- Ready to eat meals
- Extra clothes
- Portable cooking materials and eating utensils (spoon, fork, knife, plate, cups)
- Well-wrapped matches and batteries (to protect from water)
- Portable radio and light
- First aid kit
- Baby's diapers, clothes, milk and feeding bottles
- Medicines for ailing family member
- Extra cellphone battery and list of important contact numbers
- Whistle
- Sleeping mats, pillows and blankets
- Soap, shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrush
This is just a part of the disaster preparedness plan that must be made. It is also important that the rest of the family knows about this emergency survival kit and how this plan is to be carried out. For detailed information how to prepare for different types of calamities, check out the FEMA website and this one too.
Filed in archive
Emergency Kit
, Travel Planning
on May 20, 2010
©
jhritz
I promised myself this will never happen again and have to be prepared for such accidents. Simple cuts and burns, fever and allergies and rashes need to be addressed as soon as possible. You make use of materials available in your first aid kit. These could happen at home, during picnic at the park or when trekking or traveling. There are different kits for home/office, car and travel/outdoor.
One could easily purchase a first aid kit from drugstores or supply shops or you could always prepare your own, put in a secure bag and keep in a safe place which you can easily retrieve when needed. Usual inclusions of a first aid kit are:
- Bandages (different sizes and types)
- Sterile gauze
- Band aids
- Cleansing agents like antiseptic wipes, soap
- Burn ointment or gel
- Non-prescription medicines for fever and diarrhea, antacids, cold medicine
- Cotton swab
- Cold pack
For more information about emergency preparedness at home or during disasters, you could check out the American Red Cross website.
Filed in archive
Travel Planning
on May 19, 2010
©
MC4 Army
If you are planning a trip abroad, before you go, spend some time on the U.S. State department website. If you have never been to this website before you will certainly be amazed at all the useful information that is provided.
You can check the information for each individual country you may visit on your trip. You can find out what visas you require, what the crime rate is in the common tourist areas, you can even find out what to do in a medical emergency.
If you go to the 'travel' section of the website there is an extensive list of information on pre-trip planning. Special information is provided for students traveling abroad and for older American's travelling abroad. There is also a section on general travel information that is suitable for everyone.
If you want to keep up-to-date on the latest information, register for travel alerts and they will go right to your email. Also, don't forget to register with the Consulate once you arrive at your destination. If anything happens, the consulate staff are there to help.
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