Patient Empowerment News, Issues & Debates

The roots of patient empowerment help us understand why being an empowered patient helps us find our best medical outcomes.

Understanding the reasons for empowerment, and what it takes to be empowered will go a long way in helping you understand the benefits.

The list of things that make us empowered patients could go on forever. Sometimes its easier to look at the things we should NOT do to get the best of the healthcare system.

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, known as GINA, was passed in 2008 to protect Americans from discrimination based on their DNA - their genetic code. There are specific considerations for both health insurers and employers. Be aware of this law so you can be sure you are not a victim of genetic discrimination.

Description of the differences and interactions between the concepts of health and medicine.

Emails and social media posts, like those in Facebook or Twitter, make questionable claims, and we don't know whether to believe them. They get forwarded or linked over and over again. It's difficult to tell how much truth they may contain, so it's time to learn how to confirm or debunk the claims we find in email, blogs or other social media.

The health and well-being of a patient can be violated by problems with patient safety. Drug errors, infections, surgeries gone awry and other mistakes can result in injuries to patients and even death.

Most patients in the United States think their health or medical records are private, and never stop to consider all the ways their privacy is violated. Smart patients are aware of the many ways their privacy is lost as they simply live their lives, or access medical care.

When you have a health or medical problem, travel can be challenging and problematic. Here are some tips for keeping your travel as stress and difficulty-free as possible.

Traveling when you have health or medical challenges can be difficult, but traveling to international destinations can create even bigger challenges. Here are some tips for making sure you can manage your health problems if you decide to travel abroad.

Most of us understand that a FICO score affects our ability to get financial credit. But FICO has developed a new score called the FICO Medication Adherence Score. Learn what this score is, who is interested in it, and why we patients must be concerned about it.

When we are denied the medical care we want or think we need, having a knowledge of the concept of healthcare rationing will go a long way toward helping us how to combat it. Understanding healthcare rationing will also help us understand conversations in the coming years about healthcare reform.

The American healthcare system is dysfunctional. From politicians to patients, we hear cries for healthcare system reform. Learn what issues need to be addressed, and understand the various opinions about what the possible answers might be.

Now that you've read about patient empowerment's decade in review, you may have some ideas of your own about the good, the bad and the ugly of the past decade in health and medical care. Share them here!

The Decade from 2000 - 2009 brought good, bad and ugly developments for patients and their medical care. In each case, they have had an effect on our abilities to get good healthcare, making it ever more imperative we become empowered patients.

Many parts of the human body can be transplanted to other people to help improve or extend life. In some countries, donations are assumed, but not in the United States. Learn about making the choice to be an organ, tissue and/or whole body donor.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) levels the playing field in the workplace providing for "reasonable accommodation." While this article has been written for patients with chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia, it's a good, broad overview of the act and provides information for anyone with a disability.

A review of the 2011, 40th Anniversary edition of the women's health classic, Our Bodies Ourselves by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective.

As millions of youngsters head off to kindergarten each Fall, we are reminded that some of the lessons they learn serve us well throughout our lifetimes. We can use them as an approach to our healthcare, too. Here are some of those lessons.

With the development of genetic testing and personalized medicine come some very difficult questions about who owns one's personal genetic code, how private should it be, how it will be used and whether or not an individual should be tested. Understanding the questions will help us arrive at the best answers for society.

EMRs, Electronic Medical Records, and PHRs, personal health records, will soon be coming to a computer near you -- in your doctor's office, or your own home. Learn what they are, how you can control or review their information, and why they may, or may not, improve your health care.