Given the hype around #ChatGPT I wondered what this #AI celebrity would have to say about the plight of #patients in #healthcare. This is the first of a series of chats I had on a range of topics.A recent article by Pat Rich highlights health care professional usage of #ChatGPT. It made me think that patients need to engage with this new tech to truly train it to think in a patient centered way. Otherwise it’ll become yet another biased technology that will act only in the interest of professionals.At the time of this conversation, stories of air travel misery were all over the news. I was struck by the irony that there was more outrage over airlines losing people’s underwear than there was over long term care institutions letting people die in soiled underwear.Comparing the state of experience of air travelers vs that of patients in health care was the starting point. Wanting to get off on the right foot I thought that a little humour would help break the ice.Patient Commando: Can you write a satirical comparison of the harms experienced by air passengers vs the harms experienced by patients in the health care system?ChatGPT: Sure, here is [...] continue the story
Patient Commando in Conversation With #ChatGPT
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The Comedian vs Cancer
Posted on by Zal Press in home-slider, Uncategorized
“Fuck Lance Armstrong! He sets the bar too high for other cancer patients.”
It was still before Armstrong was exposed, when 12 years ago today, on the advice of my Improv coach, the legendary Brian G. Smith, I went to the theatre to see Daniel Stolfi’s Canadian Comedy Award Winning One Man Show “Cancer Can’t Dance Like This”.
It’s not an overstatement to say that Stolfi’s show – and especially the “Fuck Lance Armstrong” vitriol – inspired me to commit to the wacky life of patient advocacy the last dozen years. The singular power of his performance, and his unabashed perspectives, takes you inside his relationship with Cancer as a young adult.
Funny thing, the audience – they, me, – we all laughed our asses off and particularly the dig at Armstrong. Stolfi gave us the permission, which many thought wasn’t possible, to laugh at Cancer. He left me invigorated with the prospect that just a well told tale is all it takes to change our healthcare system. Perhaps slightly naïve, I know, – okay, really naïve – but he put a creative exclamation mark on how to enrich our understanding of the lived illness experience. I thought if only every health care [...] continue the story
Tagged Under: Cancer Can't Dance Like This, Daniel Stolfi, The Comedian vs Cancer
Pain and parking: Capturing the patient experience
Posted on by Zal Press in home-slider, Patient Experience
Tagged Under: patient experience
An historic opportunity for patient partnership
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Who would have imagined that the day would come when a candidate for president of the Canadian Medical Association would proclaim in his platform, that patients need to be partners at the table to co-design the future of healthcare?
Dr. Sandy Buchman walks the talk. I’m privileged to be the patient and public representative on his campaign committee. Win or lose he lives by his principles and as a palliative care physician serving the homeless he demonstrates this everyday. Today, he presents patients with an historic opportunity to enter into a new relationship with health care professionals. Whether as individuals or as advocacy groups, the concept of partnering WITH patients has now reached a new level. While its true that patients do not vote in the CMA election, patients can have influence by bringing this to the attention of their physician carers or colleagues.
This is not about the therapeutic relationship. Its about policy that will influence the delivery of care for generations. Patients and physicians have shared interests. All stakeholders in health care need to collaborate to ensure that we have a sustainable and compassionate health care system.Dr. Sandy Buchman is breaking new ground by including a role for patients [...] continue the story
Tagged Under: Canadian Medical Association, CMA, Patient partnership, Sandy Buchman
The Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis: Emotions
Posted on by Zal Press in blog-slider, Community Action, home-slider, Patient Commando Blog
By Kathy Kastner with Zal Press First, you grieve A diagnosis of Type2 Diabetes means the end of life as you’ve lived it. Adding to the shock is the perception: Type2 is the ‘bad’ diabetes. The one you’ve brought on yourself by your overindulgent lifestyle. Type1 is seen as the ‘good’ diabetes: beyond your control.
Rarely is this the case: Type2 Diabetes is most often ‘written in the genes’, thus confounding even the most diligent of health efforts.
Lori became an advocate as a result of seeing the impact of this condition on her father and nephew, which evolved into her becoming a resource and Opinion Leader.
With a Type2 diagnosis, going through the stages of grief is not uncommon: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and eventually – hopefully – choosing to accept. Anger and denial Even for those in ethnicities at high risk of T2, acceptance of a diagnosis can be devastating. Heather is a nurse and Opinion Leader who, on a whim – and well into her career – decided to test herself: Being as she was in the hospital on the Diabetes unit. That was in 1989.
Aida (who gives an infectious giggle as she explains,’ it’s pronounced like the Opera’) is slim and fit and is [...] continue the story
Tagged Under: FeaturedPost17, kathy kastner, t2d-2016, t2dxx, type 2 diabetes