The Customer is Always Right

The Customer is Always Right

It seems that doctors have confused patients with customers. In the last 20 years opioid drug prescriptions have risen drastically. The synthesis of strong pain relief drugs like OxyContin, has captured the attention of many Americans. When patients feel pain, they want it gone quick, and at the same time doctors need to maintain a certain level of patient satisfaction--or else they risk losing their jobs. In other words, if physicians want to keep their jobs, they better keep the customer happy. It is clear that America is in an opioid drug abuse epidemic, but who is at fault?

        Physicians have over prescribed opioid drugs, and the reason is clear—it is an easy solution to a big problem. Timing restraints in the emergency room may be one problem. Physicians may not have adequate time to talk to patients, and explore other pain reducing techniques. Another issue may be that there are not enough pain specialists in the field for patients to be referred to. It is estimated that there are only 3,000 to 4,000 pain specialists in the US (BI). Finally, physicians are worried about bad ratings, if pain reducing drugs are not administered.

“In the past, doctors were focused on reducing or eliminating their patients’ pain as a benchmark of progress, constantly asking patients to rate their level of pain from 1 to 10. That encouraged doctors to use opioids, repeatedly upping the dosage to massive quantities to try to achieve that goal. Today, specialists are focusing on increasing patients’ function, such as their ability to go to work or move physically, according to Dr. Neel Mehta, the medical director of pain management at Weill Cornell Medical College (BI).”

Patient comfort is one of the greatest variables in healthcare. However, it is clear that we are running into a big problem as a society. So how can we take a step into solving this problem? Well for starters, there should be a more sophisticated way to analyze whether or not a patient needs pain medication. The simple smiley face sign ranging from no pain to excruciating pain is very subjective, and it will probably lead to over administration of opioids. Also, we shouldn’t really need pain specialists—I mean every physician should be adequately trained in assessing pain and managing it, specially those working in a hospital setting. All physicians should harbor the tools needed to make a better call when it comes to prescribing medicine. If there other pain reducing techniques available, then all doctors should know them!
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We Forgot Alzheimer's

                Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease, which is marked by dementia and cognitive difficulties. AD is the 6^th leading cause of death in the U.S., with almost two thirds of affected individuals categorized as female. Currently, AD cannot be prevented, cured or slowed. More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease and every 67 seconds, another person develops the disease. It is estimated that in 2050 over 13.8 million individuals will develop Alzheimer's and that we will spend over 1.1 trillion dollars on healthcare. Eventually, this disease will bankrupt medicare. Currently there are no therapies available for treatment (Alz). Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease which leads to the loss of memory and other cognitive processes. Different abnormalities in the brain such as the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles lead to death of brain cells. The direct cause of AD (Alzheimer’s Disease) is not known, however there are risk factors such as old age and genetics, which may lead one to develop the disease.

For many years America disregarded the many complications Alzheimer’s may give rise to. There is a strong correlation between the advancement of medicine and the cases of Alzheimer’s. This is because for many years scientists have been working towards developing drugs that keep people alive, however they have neglected the worrisome diseases that are acquired during old age. As medicine progresses more and more people enter the senior patient pool, there are increasing cases of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases each year. Preventative medicine should definitely focus on late on set diseases.

“But, it’s not just Alzheimer’s patients who are impacted by this disease: One in seven American workers is also a caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. And fewer than half of those caregivers were able to maintain their employment while providing care, according to a national poll by the Alzheimer’s Association and Workplace Options. In addition, nearly 70 percent of caregivers had to modify their work schedules, and a third took a leave of absence from their jobs (Forbes).”

The average cost for an Alzheimer's patient to receive care is $60,000 a year and it costs over 55,000 to send an Alzheimer’s patient to stable home with full health monitoring (Hanes). A big problem with the disease is that many patients need 24/7 monitoring. An AD (Alzheimer disease) patient can suffer from random outbreaks, they may forget many details. For example, an AD patient may report that they do not remember their own husband or family. AD is also a disease that inflicts more damage as time passes. One can only imagine how difficult this can be for both the patient and family. Alzheimer’s does not just inflict damage to the person who has inherited the disease, family members also deal with the consequences. family members many times have to leave their jobs to allow sufficient time and care of their loved ones. We have to wonder how detrimental this may be to our economy. Currently it is believed that there is a 1 percent drag on global economy caused by AD.

“The more there’s awareness of the disease, the more there’s awareness of care options and how to plan for it,” said Simbro. Alzheimer’s disease impacts not just families and communities, but entire economies. Awareness and acceptance that this is a disease that’s prevalent in society—and needs to be dealt with—are keys to empowering both companies and employees to start fighting back (Forbes).”

America needs to make a big push to find the cure the Alzheimer's. It is harmful to the current health care system, and soon we will not be able to afford to provide the current methods of care for every individual who inherits the disease. We have focused so much time and money curing diseases and increasing the average years of life for Americans, yet have neglected many of the health issues that are acquired at old age. I personally have seen the damage this disease can do. My grandmother who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's currently requires 24/7 care. She has forgotten the names of almost everyone in the family, even those who take time out of their work life to watch her. It truly is a devastating disease and we need to take preventative measures before things get worse.