Wendy Harpham on Healthy Survivorship

A Good "Bye" Before Hospice

Why would oncologists (or any physicians) not say "good-bye" when they know this is the last office visit for a patient before being transferred to hospice care?

Abandoned to Hospice?

Denise commented on yesterday's post "I would feel badly if my oncologist referred me to hospice, he said goodbye, and I had no further contact with him..." Is it unrealistic to expect oncologists to stay involved with patients who are now in hospice?

Hospice and Healing Hopes

How can compassionate physicians suggest hospice without causing the patient to lose all hope?

Stopping Treatment with Hope

Commenting on a recent post, "Talking About Death,"Judy, an experienced hospice nurse, shares two illustrative experiences with end-of-life care -- one good, one awful.

A question came up: "What should an oncologist do if the patient and family insist on more treatment so the patient won't lose hope?"

Embrace the Struggle

Healthy Survivors learn to embrace some of the unavoidable discomforts of life. For example, I've learned to embrace the uncertainty regarding my prognosis. So my interest was peaked when I was offered a review copy of Zig Ziglar's new book, Embrace the Struggle. Living Life on Life's Terms.

Lessons for Oncology Fellows

Today I had the honor of addressing a small group of oncology fellows at Baylor University Medical Center. "Fellows" are physicians who have completed their internal medicine training and are now receiving training in a specialty (in this case, oncology). I shared stories, insights and advice.

Here are a few of the tips I offered:

Patient 2.0

Patients obtain medical information not only from their healthcare team but also from the Internet. Time Magazine's Bonnie Rochman discusses one potential benefit of this phenomenon in a fascinating article entitled, "When Patients Share Medical Data Online."

Talking About Death

Discussions about end-of-life can benefit patients and their families in dramatic ways. Unfortunately, the emotional discomforts for both physicians and patients often serve as insurmountable obstacles to initiating these important discussions. 

A study at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and reported in JAMA may help.

Jane Brody Walks the Walk

Jane Brody, the NY Times Personal Health columnist, has been guiding Americans on matters of health since 1965. On occasion she offers readers a glimpse into her personal life, such as the time she described the uncontrolled pain she suffered following her knee replacements. 

This week, Jane Brody shares a deeply personal life event in real time: the dying of her husband of 43 years.

When Doctors Become Patients

The Princeton Alumni Weekly published an essay by Robert Klitzman, M.D., "Double Lives," adapted from his book, When Doctors Become Patients. Naturally, it caught my eye. 

Flag of Names

I'm sure to some people, my flag of names doesn't look like much. To me, the ribbons tell stories of love and loss, resilience and hope. 

The Unveiling

This morning I attended an unveiling. It's been a whole year since the funeral. 

Cleaning for a Reason

I would never call cancer "a gift" in my life. But without doubt many good things have happened because of my illness. I mention the most important silver linings in my poem, The View From Remission. 

 

Here is one gift to make life easier for any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy:

 

Listening to Patient's Stories

We've been discussing the importance of valuing the time it takes primary care physicians to listen to their patients. 

Valuing PCPs

What does it mean to "value" the time and expertise of primary care clinicians (PCPs)?

Addressing the Primary Care Shortage

In yesterday's post I explained why combining college and med school into six years is not a good antidote to the primary care shortage (in my opinion). Here are other ideas that might help encourage medical students to go into primary care:

Antidote for Primary Care Shortage

The author of a recent post on YJHM (the companion blog for the Yale Journal for Humanities in Medicine) suggested that combining college and med school into six years is a good idea as an antidote to the primary care shortage.

I, too, am concerned about the growing shortage of primary care clinicians. But this idea worries me.

Redeeming Help

How do you help patients who hate to ask for help?

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