12/10/2012

This past week was my last week of the year as a volunteer at Ben Taub. I am leaving town for the next month after finals to spend time with family and enjoy the break. I hope to continue my volunteer service in the upcoming semester, and I will have to see how I can fit it into my schedule. It has been a fulfilling experience to have the opportunity to serve my community. I have met many wonderful people and have had a few memorable experiences in my short time at Ben Taub. These experiences and this blog has given me an outlet to reflect on the issues that face the medically underserved in our community. As an aspiring future physician, it is this portion of the population I feel that I should turn most of my effort to providing proper care for, and I hope that my future career path can lead me to be able to help these who are in most need. Wherever I end up in my career, I will always carry these memories as a volunteer with me.

12/2/2012

For our group presentation on the cellular biology of a disease, we selected hypercholesterolemia. I addressed this a little bit in an earlier post, but wanted to expound why I wanted to select this for our project. Hypocholesterolemia is a metabolic disorder in which serum cholesterol levels are elevated. Long-term elevated levels can cause atherosclerosis, which is implicated in many cardiovascular diseases.

The biggest hurdle in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia is that it is usually asymptomatic until . Patients who don't seek regular checkups will usually wait decades with elevated levels before seeking treatment at advanced stages of illness when they have already developed atherosclerosis. 

CVD is the leading cause of death in the US.Most cases of hypercholesterolemia are preventable through proper lifestyle changes. I wanted to select hypercholesterolemia for our brochure in order to target a wide range of patients who may have this disease, and inform them on some simple options they may have in order to reduce the risks of developing CVD later in life. 

11/30/2012

Although finding enough time this semester has been quite a challenge for me, I am very grateful for the volunteering experiences that this project has given me. I am glad that it was integrated as part of the class. I know personally that it is very easy to lose sight of what we are working towards when we have to spend so much time in class and studying. It was refreshing to have a weekly opportunity to bring myself back to why I chose medicine as a career- for a chance to make a difference in a person's life when they are in most need. Although there is still a long way and a lot of schooling to go, reminders like this volunteering experience will keep me moving closer towards my career goals.

11/24/2012

While volunteering at the hospital the other day,  I saw a new patient come into the hospital. She was looking for the correct floor for a procedure which she was about to undergo. Unfortunately, I could not help them find the correct floor since, as a volunteer, I am unable to access patient information. I tried to direct that patient to the information desk to better assist them, and what I saw was a rather unpleasant exchange which ended with the patient walking off frustrated and on her own to locate the correct floor herself. I proceeded to go to the patient and found a nurse who was able to help direct them find the correct floor.

It is easy for patients to get frustrated during a hospital visit experience. Normally, when someone is at the hospital, they are dealing with an illness and not in the best of moods. I could imagine the patient was very worried about her procedure and wasn't trying to cause trouble for the information desk employee. It is up to the providers and the staff of the hospital to help make the unpleasant visit to the hospital as bearable as possible. It may be an impossible goal, but a healthcare provider or staff member must not allow the daily experience of dealing with the sick to make them callous to the humanity of another individual. Those who choose this career and this profession should strive to treat each and every individual with respect and dignity, regardless of how grumpy or frustrated the patient may be. That simple interaction of showing care to another may be enough to help the patient deal with their illness, and improve the quality of their stay during their treatment.

11/06/2012

Working at the host desk has been a very enjoyable experience. Watching patients come in with their solemn expressions and leave with uplifted spirits showed me the physical, psychological, and emotional comfort that simple medical care can provide. Giving back to my community has been a way to learn how to listen and seek connection with others in even the simplest of interactions. Giving the time and talent that you can spare to help is an embodiment of altruism, a quality I hope all people strive for in their lives. Though this volunteering project originally began as a simple assigned project for one of my classes, I hope to continue it for many months to come. Giving my time to help my community and those around me will always be an important part of my life, and something that I will continue hopefully in the near and far future.

11/4/2012

When I compare my volunteering experiences, and the other hospital and healthcare related activities I have participated in throughout my life, I have come to realize a trend. Those who don't have sufficient access to proper healthcare tend to wait longer to seek attention for the medical problems, or forego treatment altogether. Now, when I say those who lack sufficient access, this is predominantly those who live in poverty, and those who live in medically underserved areas. Patients in poverty will tend to wait until more advanced stages in illness, driving up both the cost of treatment, and decreasing the likelihood that treatments will be as effective. This ends up driving medical costs higher for this population in our community, and thus propagates a cycle of inability to afford proper treatments.

The solution for this is not simple, and requires a major investment from our medical community. Our ever expanding fields of medical technology and research are critical in discovering better, more cost effective methods of detection and treatment. Community health initiatives and preventative care are some of the most effective ways in reducing costs to underserved families. One prominent example of this is heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Some statistics report that around 90% of these cases are preventable. Proper education and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the cost of healthcare to our country, and as I said in a previous blog, would allow us to reallocate the savings to assist those who cannot afford sufficient care, and into research and development of more effective medical technologies.

10/21/2012

I apologize for the long delay since my last blog post, but I was going through a pretty hectic time. My fiancee recently had a hip surgery, and much of my time has been allocated to helping her recover from that process and taking care of our son.Though my mind has been occupied with these challenges, I have had many opportunities to reflect on my volunteer work and some of the challenges that the medically underserved face in the United States. Health, disease, and social status are interrelated. In our country, the poor often travel far and wait longer to receive health care that is considerably inferior to that available to the wealthier. The access to healthcare and the utilization of resources vary widely in different communities. Physicians should carry the moral duty to provide service to the poor and the uninsured. As an aspiring physician, I must consider the efficient utilization of resources in my profession. For example, ordering only necessary diagnostic tests can help reduce the burdening cost of healthcare. These savings can be used to help the uninsured and the underinsured among us. As I continue to volunteer and think about my future career, I hope to play an active role in community initiatives to help improve patients’ access to medications to maintain their health to reduce hospital admissions.