AMA Newswire
Health Tips Your Doctor Wants You to Know
August 28, 2024
For many Americans, the entry point into the health care system is the internist, whose primary job is to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases in adults. But before they even step foot in an internist's office, most of them are bombarded with aggressive product marketing, false opinions on social media, and a variety of other social and cultural forces that can harm their health and the patient-physician relationship. Thus, one of the biggest challenges for internists is to ensure that patients turn to them first for health education.
Below is a list from the AMA's What Doctors Wish Patients Knew™ series, which provides a platform for doctors to share what they want their patients to understand about today's medical news and discusses important health tips physicians want their patients to know.
It's called a cold for a reason. It's common, especially in the winter. With a runny nose, sore throat, and lingering cough, it's no surprise that some patients seek effective cold medicines. But do cold medicines help relieve cold symptoms? It depends. But it's important to know how to relieve cold symptoms and which cold medicines to use. There are over 200 different viruses that cause colds, but the most common type is the rhinovirus, which affects over 3 million people in the United States each year. Cold symptoms usually peak within 3-5 days and include sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and fever. Some symptoms, especially runny nose, stuffy nose, and cough, can last up to 14 days, but improve over time. One physician who took the time to share her insights on this is internist Janine Brann, MD. She is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Primary Care and Population Health at Atlantic Medical Group, part of Atlantic Health System. Atlantic Health System is a member of the AMA Health Systems Program. The program offers an enterprise solution that provides leadership, physicians, and care teams with the resources to drive the future of healthcare. Does your family have breast cancer? Does anyone have heart disease or high blood pressure? What about drug and alcohol use and mental health in your family? This information is part of your family health history and is a huge predictor of overall health risk. Understanding and sharing your family health history is a crucial aspect of proactive healthcare management. By being open and recording your family health history, patients can provide physicians with valuable insights into potential genetic predispositions and inherited diseases. It also lays the foundation for more personalized and targeted healthcare. Jason Ricks, MD, an internist at Atlantic Health System, shares more. Health outcomes are not determined by medical interventions alone. Rather, they are heavily influenced by factors that go far beyond the walls of a hospital or doctor's office. From where patients live to the economic resources at their disposal, social factors of health (also known as social determinants of health) play a pivotal role in whether a person is susceptible to disease, whether they can access healthcare, and how effective treatments are. Though often overlooked, understanding and recognizing the social determinants of health can empower patients to take control of their health. Meanwhile, physicians and health care organizations have a role to play in screening for these factors and working with community partners to address them. Three physicians explained what all patients should know about social determinants of health. Among those who spoke was Eboni Price-Haywood, MD, MPH, an internist and system medical director for Ochsner Health’s Healthy State initiative. She also serves as medical director for the Ochsner Xavier Institute for Health Equity Research. Ochsner Health is another member of the AMA Health Systems Program. In 2021, U.S. life expectancy fell for the second consecutive year, this time to the lowest level since 1996. This marked an alarming reversal from historical trends. In 1900, U.S. life expectancy was 47 years, reaching 79 years in 2019. However, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, life expectancy dropped to 77 years in 2020 and further to 76.4 years in 2021. This alarming trend was apparently not an anomaly and was mainly due to heart disease, cancer, COVID-19, and the ongoing drug overdose epidemic. According to the same report, heart disease remains the leading cause of death, followed by cancer and COVID-19, accounting for about 60% of the decline in life expectancy. Meanwhile, overdose deaths, which account for more than one-third of accidental deaths in the United States, have increased fivefold over the past two decades. Life expectancy has recovered slightly in 2022 but remains below pre-pandemic figures. Three physicians discussed why life expectancy is declining and what to do about it. An online patient portal is a website used to access personal health information. Patient portals help patients track medical visits, test results, claims, prescriptions, insurance, and more. However, according to a study published at JAMIA, patient portal inbox messages have increased by 157% since 2020, putting an increased burden on physicians and their care teams. Knowing how and when to use patient portals can help improve patient outcomes and potentially reduce the workload that contributes to physician burnout. Three physicians outlined what physicians want patients to keep in mind when using patient portals. Vitamins, dietary supplements, and dietary supplements can be healthy, but they can also carry health risks. Notably, the Food and Drug Administration does not have the authority to review the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements before they hit the market. And with more than 90,000 supplements on the market, it can be hard to know what is safe and what is not. Two members of the AMA outlined what physicians want patients to know about vitamins and dietary supplements.
What your doctor wants to tell you
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Effective communication between doctors and patients is important when both parties are speaking from a common source of knowledge. The AMA's What Doctors Wish Patients Knew™ series covers dozens of health topics, including Lyme disease, norovirus and anti-obesity drugs.
