~My Links~

Google
YAHOO!
cartoonmicrophone
mickeymousepictures
luispalau
adobeacrobatupgrade
pinkmotorolarazor
phongle
lincolncountync
halloweensupplies
toddlerchairs
tantricmassage
remotenetworkaccess
glueremover
ephenrypavers
tabletpcreviews
poorcirculationsymptoms
audiemurphybiography
viennaairport
goodridecowboy
palmasdelmar
rubberfloors
gatlinburgcabins
chasingcars
cornishhenrecipes
onlinemarketingservice
chevroletkodiak
enginestand
lyonbywashburn
gaiaonlinethemes
careerconcepts
closetmonster
candlesvotives
iraqcigar
catallergy
freevirusremoval
chicagosouvenirs
rockymountainraceway
coincleaning
industrialvacuumcleaner
tinysinglewomen
brixrefractometer
clearwaterlawyer
usnavalships
menlopark
nudestcolony
aquariumsump
clotheshanger
helaundrydetergent
buildakite
bankingjob
singleflowers
propaneheaters
reiayanamiporn
psychicdevelopment
atlantacraigslist
freeplaystationroms
camiladecastro
marriedwoman
weighttrainingprograms
appalachianculture
cushioncover
masonicprints
nephilimangels
oluxfoam
positivewords
carpetbeetles
youthministryideas
totetismreligionreformed
minocyclineacne
christinamilianpics
inositolhexanicotinate
crmbusinessintelligence
sisteractii
houseremodelingideas
usednissanpathfinder
sideeffectszoloft
crmsoftware
precipitatelabor
violinsheetmusic
advanceballasts
familydollarstore
promotionaladvertisingproducts
mondaymorningchurch
dailynonpareil
fortworthtoyota
rhodeislandattractions
andersonpamela
galaxycinema
bicycleapparel
kyjobs
sanafeygallery
telephonesurveyshawaii
cesarpizzeria
keywestflashers
partycanopies
garagestorageracks
arashoes
lunarnewyear
charterflights
ultimateyou
cheaplongdistance

~Archives~
Thursday, September 6, 2007

~Credits~

Do your patients understand you?
Copyright (c) 2007 A Marketing Connection
How do you know?
A recent USA Today article states that miscommunications between patients and health care providers are increasing the chances that people who need medical care will be hurt or killed in the process.
The article sites a report done by the Joint Commission Healthcare Accreditation Group which states that cultural and language barriers pose problems for patient-doctor communications, as well as poor general literacy skills.
The group's recommendations include specific advice for educating and training healthcare professionals; using well-trained medical interpreters for patients with English comprehension difficulties; and encouraging a culture of easy-to-understand communication in all facets of medical care.
Dennis O'Leary, president of the group, says that when he was in medical school no one even mentioned that someone might not understand what he was saying. "Yet, more serious adverse events are caused by communication problems than any other thing."
Why am I writing about this??? It's not because of my passion for communication, and it is not because (as a health care copywriter) ensuring communications are easy to understand and written to the appropriate audience is a core part of what I do.
It's because ensuring patients understand what their problems are, understanding what treatments you recommend, and understanding what courses of action are available is an important aspect of your job.
And how do you really know if people understand what you are saying to them?
There are a few steps you can take to ensure patients understand what you are telling them.
* Look at the patient when you are talking to them. Look them in the eye. Don't talk while you are jotting notes in their charts or writing a prescription. Do they have a blank look on their face? Are they nodding their head that they understand you? Are they asking questions?
* Offer written hand-outs that are written in an easy to read format. Copies of articles from your medical journals do not count. Copies of instructions from equipment manufacturers are not enough. (Yes, I have seen docs use both of these to educate patients). Hand-outs need to be written to a fourth or fifth grade reading level whenever possible.
---I suggest making generic hand-outs for some of the most common diagnosis you make. In other instances you may need to write down basic information during the appointment - type them out if you can or have someone in your office do it. You know why...your handwriting is illegible.
* Ask questions to check for basic understanding throughout visits.
* Offer places or web sites where patients can go to get more information. Giving this information to them in a hand-out, or having someone else in your office email them the information after the appointment works well too. It also ensures that any research they do on their own is coming from reliable sources and not just fanatic people out there on the Internet.
Take a few minutes this week and simply look at the written material you give to patients. Whether you provide it when they first visit your office, or educational materials you send home with them throughout their treatment. Can your middle schooler understand it?
If not, get back to the drawing board. Making sure your patients understand you is key to both your success and good health.

------
Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed, Kelly Robbins is an award winning copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare Marketing Connection, a free e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, "5 critical things you must know when writing for the healthcare industry" - info@KellyRobbinsLLC.com or 303-460-0285.


Fire Ants and Sickness Fire Ants and Sickness
Fire ants are making their presence more and more known across the world. The fire ant has taken the lead when it comes to allergic reactions in adults and children, higher now than bees or wasps. There seems to be an increase of bites that are heard around the country from fire ants and people are starting to become in a panic of what they can do.
Fire ants do not just have the potential to bite someone; they have the potential to kill. Many children that are bitten by fire ants are in need of immediate medical care or they will die. There has been an increased mortality rate from fire ant stings, as well as the transfer of other diseases from the initial bite. Most ants will bite and leave an acid on the skin, but fire ants are different when they sting. A fire ant will bite only to be able to grip the skin better, and then they will sting from their abdomen. The result of the sting from a fire ant is that it will inject a toxin into the skin called piperidine, which can feel like a person is on fire (hence the name). Unfortunately, if you have any allergies to fire ants, this could be a deadly toxin for you.
An allergic reaction is not the only problem that you can experience from fire ant bites. The sting can leave a blister that will fill with pus within 6 to 8 hours and then can stay that way for up to 10 days. The problem with the bite itself is that if it is not kept clean, an infection can manifest in the wound and leave even more problems than the bite itself. On a more minor scale, a fire ant bite has been known to leave scars that are raised and hard on the skin. There is also a risk of toxin poisoning if there are more than 20 bites on a person's entire body. Lastly, there is a disease called serum sickness, which is rare with insect bites but is starting to occur more and more. Serum sickness produces flu like symptoms that will passively wait until 10 to 14 days after a person has been bit. The problem with serum sickness is that many people will recognize their illness as the flu and not related to the fire ant, and then the bites may prove to be fatal.
The most important thing to do after you have been bit by fire ants is to make sure that you are clear from them and that none of them are lingering in your clothes or on your skin. You also need to make sure that the bites are as clean as possible because of the pus that will form in the wound. There are many different home remedies and a very few commercial products that are available that can help soothe the sting of the bites. It is important to keep the area clean and dry, and not to scratch the affected area so that there is no lingering chance of further infection.
Roslyn took on a new hobby that has become a full time job with raising bees for honey.
Not only does her sweet inspiration help the bees, Roslyn also does a lot of research and work with the honey.
Fire ants have become a large problem in the southern part of the States. Bees make an unique antibiotic that will help with caring for bits, stings and burns from fire ants
Properly is not a new antibiotic. This type has been around for years and been used for different things over the years. Properly is found in the cream that will help with the bits stings and burns from the fire ants.
Roslyn and Norman decide after years of towing service to stop and clean the farm cob webs and work with the farm again.
Roslyn took on a new hobby that has become a fulltime job with raising bees for honey.
Not only does her sweet inspiration help the bees, She is also does a lot of research and
Work with the honey.
Fire ants have become a large problem in the southern part of the States. Bees make an unique antibiotic that will help with caring for bites, stings and burns from fire ants
Propolis is not a new antibiotic. This type has been around for years and been used for different things over the years. Propolis is found in the cream
that will help with the bits stings and burns from the fire ants.
Make sure you stop in at Horton’s Honey
Farm
to learn more about fire ants and first aid
for those nasty little critters.


Feeling Good When Loosing The Weight
Let's face it, in today's world we don't have much time for working out, we are all very busy, but you need to set up some time to keep yourself healthy and this does include exercising. Many people claim that you can eat fat burning food exclusively and lose weight. Many people think it is how much you eat that make you fat, but truly it is the idea of how much and what you eat. Eating a lot of one type of food will not help you loose weight; you need to have a healthy balanced diet of food.
In the gym you will hear many people talking about fat burning compatible foods this is a very popular topic and you will hear the buzz about it. When people talk about fat burning foods these are foods that have a certain number of calories and your body has the ability of burning more than the calories of the food. Also, manufacturers of different foods and snacks use a process in which they take vegetable oil and convert it to "hydrogenated" oil, which turns the oil into a solid that can be used to make certain snacks.
The great news is that such ‘super foods’ contain real health benefits in addition to their amazing weight loss assisting properties. Increase metabolism for easy weight loss and fat burning. Working out is very important, if you can try to integrate weight training this will help burn fat, but continue to do your regular exercise program because this will help with the weight loss aspect. It seems that people can't get enough of weight loss and fat burning tips.
If you trying to burn fat and not doing weight training as part of that, you are really taking some big steps backwards. There are many great fitness and training programs out there, but I would like to touch upon what makes an Ultimate Fitness program. The problem is, most approaches only focus on the actual amount of weight loss and not the maintenance of existing muscle tissue.
The basic of metabolism has everything to do with fat burning. There are many different things that will affect your body's metabolism, digestion of food, exercise, hormones and body temperature. All you need to do is follow the rules, if you do your body will become a fat burning system, you will be able to eat and your body will rid itself of the excess calories and fat.
Fruits and vegetables provide a very fast burning source of carbohydrates, which means that they are used up by your body for energy rather than being stored and converted to fat. Also, think of the calories that are burned from carbohydrates as your energy calories. Then try some of these alternatives, eat foods that are not high in carbohydrates, if you limit the amount of carbohydrates your body will burn thru the carbs and then start on the fat.
Here are some great workouts you can do at home, if you have a treadmill this is a great workout, if you have an elliptical machine this is another. Physical training can be a fat burning workout every time you train. Here are some workout tips to maintain high intensity during your workouts. As soon as you wake up in the morning workout for at least 30min to an hour.

David Marc Fishman is the owner of link directory. The website that helps people who use directories for one way links.