Four Powerful Concepts to Maximize Healing

Doctors, Please Consider Combining These Four Powerful Concepts to Maximize Your Patient’s Healing

Patients, Are You Getting the Best Treatment from Your Healthcare Professional?

Whether doctors and patients like it or not, there is a mind-body interaction. Healthcare professionals can leverage this interaction for enhanced healing.

As a healthcare professional, please consider these concepts to improve total diagnosis and treatment: 

1. Knowledge and Medical Skills
2. Bedside Manner
3. Maximize the Placebo Effect
4. Minimize the Nocebo Effect 

Knowledge and Medical Skills are taught very well in medical schools. Little need be said on this concept. It is the basis of many medical practices. 

Bedside Manner is becoming more important as many practices are becoming consumer driven. Perhaps some healthcare professional have inherited good bedside manner. Others might want to learn. Some medical schools are combining "people skills" along with the usual curriculum. For those who want to learn more, some references are listed at the end of this article. In addition, here are good Internet search strings for even more information:

1.  listening-skills (patient OR doctor OR nurse)
2.  body-language (patient OR doctor OR nurse)
3.  (listening-skills OR body-language) tutorial
4.  (listening-skills body-language) tutorial

Most healthcare professionals do not consider Placebo/Nocebo Effects, though these effects are as powerful in many cases as medicine and treatment. Again, good techniques can be learned. General references are at the end of this article. To find more information on the Internet, use these search strings:

1.  placebo-(effect OR response) (words OR wording OR ritual OR enhance OR maximize) (patient OR doctor OR nurse OR physician)
2.  nocebo-(effect OR response) (words OR wording OR ritual OR minimize OR diminish) (patient OR doctor OR nurse OR physician)

Use of these four concepts is somewhat of a judgment call by the practitioner. Some patients want only the facts and expertise. Some patients respond more to Bedside Manner. Some respond to Placebo/Nocebo whereas some do not.

Patient-Doctor communication is bilateral. As people-skills are learned and practiced, doctors can pick up the patient's body language combined with listening to them. From that, the doctor or nurse can decide how to adjust his or her own words, body language, and actions. Maybe someday, there will be "Emotional Stress Indicators" on patients to help the doctor decide whether they are helping or hurting the patient.

Medical practice is evolving. As much as there is hope for patients, there is hope for doctors and nurses willing to consider and learn new concepts and skills.

Takeaways: 

1.  Patient-Doctor communication is becoming more and more important, as healthcare becomes more consumer-driven.
2.  Bedside Manner, Placebo Effect, and Nocebo Effect can all be leveraged for enhanced and sustained healing. The progressive and caring healthcare professionals can learn all these.As a patient, find a practitioner that fits you as a person. Ask around, explaining what is important to you, as a health care consumer. Give each practitioner a fair chance, but do your part to communicate your needs and wants. Healthcare professionals are not "Mind-Readers".

For more information: 

1.  Bedside Manner 
2.  Can Better Bedside Manner Be Taught? 
3.  Bedside Manner: Concept Analysis and Impact on Advanced Nursing Practice 
4.  Patient-Physician Communication: Why and How 
5.  Bedside Manners: One Doctor's Reflections on the Oddly Intimate Encounters Between Patient and Healer by David Watts, M.D., Random House Digital, Inc., 2006
6.  Listening to Patients: A Phenomenological Approach to Nursing Research and Practice by Sandra P. Thomas, PhD, RN, FAAN, et al., Springer Publishing Company, 2004
7.  The Power of Hope: A Doctor`s Perspective by Howard Spiro, Yale University Press, 1998
8.  The Placebo Effect: An Interdisciplinary Exploration by Anne Harrington, Harvard University Press, 1999
9.  Program in Placebo Studies and the Therapeutic Encounter hosted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 
10.  Specific Components of Bedside Manner in the General Hospital Psychiatric Consultation: 12 Concrete Suggestions 
11.  As a Healthcare Professional, Are You Checking All the Vital Signs to Evaluate Total Patient Condition?
12.  Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress And/or Pain Indicator

Disclaimer - Article is for information only and is not medical advice.

10 Exciting Ideas on How to Learn or Teach Healthcare “Bedside Manners”

10 Exciting Ideas on How to Learn or Teach Healthcare “Bedside Manners”

Doctors, You Can Learn to Do a Better Job Healing and Your Patients Can Show You How!

Healthcare professionals strive to "do no harm". Yet, some do not know they are harming patients with their bedside manners. A new application for an old tool might help practitioners help realize they are indeed hurting their patients by their behavior, words, body language, etc. 

Biofeedback devices have been around a long time, and many are available even to the public. These devices are normally used to manage stress through relaxation techniques. Most of those publicly available use skin conductance to determine stress level. 

These devices can also be used to determine stress triggers, which in some cases can be healthcare professionals, themselves. In fact, it is known that the mere presence of a doctor around a patient will increase the patient's blood pressure. This is known as the "White Coat Syndrome" because doctors are seen as authoritarian figures. 

A doctor's bedside manner determines the patient's stress level, in many cases. This is particularly true for patients who are children, sensitive in nature, or are very sick.

Biofeedback relaxation devices can indicate the stress level of patients. Since the doctor's bedside manner has a great influence on the patient's stress, perhaps these devices could indicate to a doctor how good their bedside manner is. This automatic stress level indicator on the patient might be particularly helpful for those people who are afraid to confront their doctor, which most of us are. 

Imagining how this might work would go something like this. Patient goes to the doctor wearing a biofeedback "stress" indicator. The doctor knows about this and is cooperative. The doctor then conducts a normal visit, frequently noticing the patient's stress monitor. Typically, the device has a green light indicating a relaxed condition, yellow indicating stress occurring, and red for severe stress. The doctor would then adjust their behavior to maintain the monitor in a green state, indicating patient relaxation. The doctor would take note of what works and what does not work. In other words, the doctor would notice when they were helping and also when they were hurting the patient. From this, the doctor could improve their bedside manner. With such a device, the caring doctor could adjust his or her behavior for each patient on each day, since patients change from day to day. 

If you like this idea and want to put it into action, below are some ideas.

 

1. If you are a patient, ask your doctor what they think of this concept. See if they would be open to feedback, either verbally by you and/or electronically by a biofeedback device.

2. If you are healthcare professional, please consider how monitoring a patient's stress level could help you improve your bedside manner. Experiment on yourself and with your colleagues first, then try it with your patients. You can buy "home biofeedback devices", just as your patients can. These devices are publicly available.

3. As a patient, purchase or make a biofeedback device and perform your own stress level and relaxation experiments. Find out what your stress triggers are. Learn how you can better relax and manage stress, even during difficult medical procedures. You can learn to help yourself heal, since stress often causes or contributes to illness. Be sure to let your doctor know what you are doing to help yourself heal. Wear your purchased or made biofeedback device to your doctor, with their permission. Hopefully, most doctors will be willing to cooperate in learning how they can improve their overall effectiveness. You might just amaze your doctor and give them something to think about themselves.

4. If you are handy, make a biofeedback device from a kit or from the many plans on the Internet and perform your own experiments. Others have done this and you can too.

5. If you are a young student, consider this a Science Fair Project. In this project, you will learn about Affective Computing, which involves devices that measure emotions, especially with a computer. In addition, you will learn the importance of a good Doctor-Patient Relationship to achieve a speedy and long-lasting healing. Invite your doctor to your science fair. Perhaps your doctor could help or advise with your Science Fair Project, with the permission of your school and teacher.

6. If you are medical student or a biomedical engineering student, consider this a research project. This could be a collaborative effort between the Medical and Engineering Colleges at a University. Perhaps you could get funding from the government or private industries to fund this research.

7. Do not be left out of this discussion if you are a nurse, care assistant, or even cleaning staff. Your demeanor does mean something to a patient. Experiment with an Emotional Stress Indicator on yourself and when around others. As you are affected by the actions or inactions of others, do you not do the same to your patients? Find out how you can help the patients heal better and faster by just improving your own "bedside manner", whether or not the doctors do the same.

8. A good health care team works best when everyone is treated well. The whole medical team could wear stress monitors visible to each other, and even to patients. Perhaps the devices could be fashioned after "radiation badges", only indicate the emotional level of the badge wearer. Of course, each person would be aware of their own stress by their own internal cues. In addition, others could visibly see each other's stress levels too. Everyone could do all they could to keep everyone's stress indicators in the "green relaxed zone". Everyone's emotional level would be "transparent" and easily discernible by others. This is a scientific alternative to trying to "read minds" or "read body language".

9. As a Biomedical Engineer, Geek, or whatever, consider this as a challenge, make such devices, and then show others how to do the same.

10. Lastly, and this is something everyone can do, promote this concept socially, in person and with social networks. Post this article as a start and add your own comments and ideas. Do not give up. What do you have to lose? 

Takeaways:

• Low emotional stress promotes patient healing. Medical staff should do all they can to reduce emotional stress within patients.
• Teams work better with low emotional stress. In addition, patients "pick up" a caregivers stress and then this creates additional stress within the patient.
• Technology exists to show personal emotional stress level. Patients could use these devices themselves to relax, have a sense of control, and improve their own healing. The medical staff could use these devices to promote patient healing and improve team efficiency.

For more information:

• White Coat Syndrome
• Bedside Manner
• Biofeedback
• New (Old) Tool Teaches Doctors "Bedside Manners"
• Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress Indicator - an Idea Ahead of Its Time
• Good Internet Search String - emotional-stress (device OR monitor OR indicator)  
• Paging Dr. Within: How to Become, Be, and/or Make a “Patient Listener” and/or a “Super Symptom Checker” - describes the Concepts of a "Patient Listener" and a "Super Symptom Checker" – Human, Technology, and/or Technology-Assisted Human – Considering the "Big Picture" around Health and/or Symptoms. - https://books2read.com/u/mBgJnA

Some Biofeedback Tools available to the public:

• Mindplace Thoughtstream USB Personal Biofeedback
• GSR2 Home Biofeedback Unit
• CalmLink Biofeedback Software
• Wearable 'Q Sensor' Helps Monitor Stress Levels

Disclaimer - Article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.

New (Old) Tool Teaches Doctors “Bedside Manners”

New (Old) Tool Teaches Doctors “Bedside Manners”

Science Based Tool Teaches Medical Professionals to Treat You, as a Person, Better

Everyone knows that a relaxed patient is easier to treat and heals better. Yet, what is being done to improve "bedside manner" of the medical staff? What tools are there to assist medical professionals to treat you better? 

It is difficult for medical professionals to evaluate their own bedside manner, since they are taught to detach from their patients. In addition, most medical practices are scientifically based. Anything not scientific, like emotions, are not considered. As a result, many patients feel like "objects" rather than "people". 

Patients are not all scientifically based, like objects. People have an emotional side or component, which is frequently not considered. This emotional side of patients is troubling to most doctors, since it gets in the way of their scientific approach. 

Whether the medical community, and even some patients, likes it or not, there is a mind-body connection. The mind responds to a doctor's bedside manner, which then determines the effectiveness of treatments given to the body by the medical staff. 

Most healthcare professionals want to do a good job and consider you as a person, yet they might not have the right skills or tools to help them learn these "people skills". 

Up to now, no "tools" have been considered to assist doctor and nurses in improving their bedside manner.

 

There seems to be a need for an "emotional stress indicator" on the patient, as evidenced by some practitioners now measuring the emotional stress and pain levels of patients. 

Sometimes, pain and emotional stress are considered the fifth and sixth vital signs. From this added information, the practitioner can make a better diagnosis and treatment plan. Are your doctors doing this?

 

As a solution, might we consider the "stress monitors" that have been available for some time, even to the public. These devices usually involve the well-known biofeedback techniques and measure skin conductance, i.e. perspiration. Some of these have a visual indicator, such as a light, which indicates stress. Usually, green means relaxed, yellow means stress is beginning, and red means severe stress. 

Perhaps the patient could wear a stress monitor as part of the ongoing treatment plan.

• The patient could be taught general relaxation techniques to improve their health generally. This might be particularly valuable when difficult medical treatments are being administered. The patient thus helps themselves, if they so want to. This makes them a part of the medical team and gives them a sense of control, which is very important in healing.
• When the patient is in the hospital or clinic, the healthcare professionals could view the color of the stress indicator frequently. By observing the indicator color, the doctor or nurse could then determine whether they are helping or hurting the patient. Generally, the practitioner should adjust their words, body language, or actions to maintain patient relaxation, as much as possible.

Takeaways:

• Healthcare professionals should consider emotional stress and/or pain as vital signs.
• Stress monitors do exist already. These monitors could be used to determine a patient's emotional stress and pain levels.
• Patients can use a stress monitor to help themselves relax and heal on an ongoing basis.
• Practitioners can also use the patient's monitor to improve their overall techniques, especially their bedside manner.

For more information:

• Bedside Manner
• Can Better Bedside Manner Be Taught?
• Bedside Manner: Concept Analysis and Impact on Advanced Nursing Practice
• Patient-Physician Communication: Why and How
• Bedside Manners: One Doctor's Reflections on the Oddly Intimate Encounters Between Patient and Healer by David Watts, M.D., Random House Digital, Inc., 2006
• Listening to Patients: A Phenomenological Approach to Nursing Research and Practice by Sandra P. Thomas, PhD, RN, FAAN, et al., Springer Publishing Company, 2004
• Good Internet search string for locating "Emotional Stress Monitors" - (emotion OR emotional) (stress OR distress) (monitor OR indicator OR device OR biofeedback)
• As a Healthcare Professional, Are You Checking All the Vital Signs to Evaluate Total Patient Condition?
• Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress Indicator - an Idea Ahead of Its Time

Disclaimer - Article is for informational use only and is not medical advice.