e-Patients Blog
The blog of the Society for Participatory Medicine. Want to be a contributor?
Trust and Respect between Doctor and Patient are Critical to the Healing Process
Years before the first of my two breast cancer diagnoses, I shared live harp music in chemotherapy infusion units, spoke to support groups about the healing power of music, and developed a clinical trial exploring the effects of specific music on patients undergoing...
Following in the Footsteps of Others to become an Empowered Patient Advocate
I didn’t want to tell anyone about my diagnosis. I thought my family and a few close friends were enough. But I got brave one day four years ago and posted about it on social media. The outpouring of support was incredible. I thought, if I’m receiving this much...
There’s More to Participatory Medicine than Doctors and Patients
Throughout the history of the Society for Participatory Medicine (SPM), the discussions have focused on two groups of participants. The first is the patient and caregivers. SPM’s work, as illustrated in the Manifesto, has been dedicated to ensuring that members of...
Video Series: Doctor to Doctor – Meeting Patients Where They Are
Conversations between SPM co-founder and Chief...
The Manifesto is a Helpful Framework for Finding Healthcare in the LGBTQ+ Community
Having been in healthcare for over 30 years as a clinician and working for four health plans, I am fortunate enough to have had exposure to a very broad network of healthcare professionals and have a deep understanding of healthcare systems and structures. I have...
An Introduction to our new Executive Director, Randy Houk
I am so honored and excited to introduce myself to you, SPM Blog readers, SPM members and friends, and to share with you a preview of coming attractions. By that I mean that since I’ve been the new Executive Director for SPM for a day and a half, my vision for what...
It’s Time to Acknowledge the Invisible Caregivers Among Us
I received an uncharacteristically anxious text from my friend Aileen: “I am having an emergency with my Mom. Please call ASAP.” When I last talked to Aileen, her mother’s dementia had been worsening slowly. A little more confusion, a stovetop left burning after...
Video Series: Doctor to Doctor – What is Participatory Medicine?
Conversations between SPM co-founder and Chief Advocacy Officer, Danny Sands MD and Annie Brewster MD,...
Pay Attention to the Symptoms, but Don’t Ignore the Patient
Usually, I write from the perspective of a patient advocate diagnosed with Wolfram-like syndrome, a rare disorder of the endoplasmic reticulum that typically manifests first with optic atrophy, then insulin-dependent diabetes. For the purposes of this blog post,...
Video Series: Doctor to Doctor
Conversations between SPM co-founder and Chief Advocacy Officer, Danny Sands MD and Annie Brewster MD,...
Seeing Red about Pink Eye
I don’t like having something wrong with my body. I don’t like feeling achy. I can’t stand fevers. I don’t like being sick. When I do get ill, I want whatever healthcare team I deal with to be full of empathy and quick to figure out what ails me. If that sounds a bit...
Boost Health IT’s Impact: Think With a Participatory Lens
In 2013 the Institute of Medicine published a landmark 436 page consensus report, Best Care at Lower Cost: The Path to Continuously Learning Health Care in America. Its summary contains the characteristics of a continuously learning system: Note that the second...
