Medical Web

The Internet has taken the place of so many things in the past decade. We don't need yellow pages anymore, encyclopedias or dictionaries, and according to some of my patients...a Doctor's advice.

You can find all the above with a quick search through a search engine like Google.com or Ask.com from a variety of legit and non-legit type sources.

I have had more then a few of our patients call up our office and question the Doctor's advice because of something they found online.

Now I'm a big fan of research. I've always believed a 2ND opinion wouldn't hurt.

Unfortunately, these patients are finding this information off of crackpot sites or they are misinterpreting the info off of legit sites because they have no medical background and they don't understand what they are reading.

Even if you've found information stating "blah blah blah is best for people with this disorder" That doesn't mean it's best for you.

The phrase "consider the source" comes to mind when these patients call but I remain open-minded because I believe it is always possible they they may have come across some information that might actually help them.

My Doctor is ever so gracious about the info. She actually reads the print-outs her patients bring her but usually sticks by her treatment plans because they actually work. She will tell them to go seek a second opinion from another doctor without hard feelings if the patient is persistent with the new "idea", "drug", or "procedure." She will go to Endocrinology conferences and come back and change her protocols. She's not closed to new ideas or research.

A search through Google for "Thyroid Disorder" produces interesting results. The number one result was the article "Oprah reveals Thyroid trouble" ......gee...didn't see that coming.

The second, was a link to wrongdiagnosis.com.

After that, there are a few more reputable links to info from the Cleveland clinic, Medline (Published by the National Institutes of health) and The Thyroid foundation of America.

The problem is...which links do people go to first?

It's OK to question your doctor....you have to be your own advocate. Just be prejudicial about where you find your information.

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I actually won the iphone from www.nursingjobs.org and Nursing Voices!

I won because one of my fellow nursing bloggers who posted the most listed me as her reason for being there!

So, a big Thank-you goes to Beth at PixelRN!

An even bigger Thank-you goes to Shane, administrator @ Nursingjobs.org!

Can't wait to play with my new iphone.

Overtime and Cold Meds

Job still going well! I've never worked this much overtime before. The days fly by and it's 5pm then 5:30pm and I'm trying to finish up and get the heck out of there. But there's always one more Refill request to Fax, one more patient to call, one more lab result to look up.

I worked through lunch today, with my doctor frowning and and commenting that the reason I worked through lunch was because she went out of town last week. It's all good though. I was OK with it. I like doing what I'm doing and it made me feel better to get a few extra charts off my desk today. I'm like Earl and I believe in Karma...it'll pay off.

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There's this new buzz about cold medicine and kids going around. Here's an article.

Personally, I have given my daughter doses of cold medicines and antihistamines in her little lifetime. They worked. She started having pollen allergies at age 3 and if we didn't/don't nip them in the bud early she develops a sinus infection. She still takes prescribed Nasonex so it eliminates the need for Benadryl or Robitussin.

I think the main issue...the biggest problem is that parents are giving these to their young kids without the knowledge of proper dosing (By Weight...not age). They aren't seeking the advice of their doctors or they aren't understanding the instructions. It could be they just don't have the money to have a Primary Physician (pediatric or family practice) and just guess the proper doses when the kiddos get sick.

Either way, what will happen is they'll just take the infant stuff off the market and the children's stuff will advise NOT to give to a child 6 and under.

This is good news for the pharmaceutical companies who provide the prescribed stuff. That's where all that money is gonna shift.

I posted a little about this over at Nursing Voices. If you want to add your comment.

(Slick, eh?)