Patient Advocacy: How To Increase Twitter Engagement

/in , , /by

While Twitter might not be as popular as other social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, it nevertheless has a large following among healthcare professionals and patient communities. Twitter has the potential to be a powerful tool that keeps you informed, encourages collaboration, amplifies advocacy activity, and raises awareness of your cause.

When Twitter first launched in 2006, gaining traffic from it was easy. Since there wasn’t much competition among users and the concept of tweets was still relatively new, people were curious to click on the links users tweeted.

Today, gaining followers and increasing engagement is harder. But there are ways once you understand how Twitter’s algorithm works. In this article, we’ll cover some tips and techniques you can use to improve your engagement rate and make a bigger impact with your advocacy campaigns on the platform.

How Twitter’s Algorithm Works Today

1.Relevancy

Since 2018, Twitter’s main timeline is no longer chronological. This means an older tweet may appear alongside a tweet from two minutes ago and one from ten minutes ago. Twitter’s algorithm sorts the tweets you see based on your interests, which is why Twitter may sometimes show you a tweet from someone you don’t follow.

What this means for you: Because Twitter shows you content it thinks will be of interest to users, you should check that the people you follow and those who follow you share the same interests.

2. Timeliness

Twitter’s algorithm is heavily weighted by time so timing is one of the most crucial factors that influence how well your Tweet performs and how many people engage with your content.

What this means for you:  You need to post at a time when people are active online for a better chance of visibility. Based on research by social listening platform Sprout Social the best times to post on Twitter are around mid-mornings and mostly on weekdays (Central Time). This will of course vary depending on location. Therefore, it is best to experiment with your timings to discover what works best for you. By tweeting at various times, you can determine when your audience is most active on Twitter and use this information to identify the optimal  times to increase visiblity for your tweets.

3. Credibility

Twitter’s algorithm favors credible accounts. Even if someone doesn’t read a single tweet, they’ll see your bio. They will decide quickly whether or not to follow you when they do.

What this means for you:  In order to make your profile look credible be sure to fill out every detail, such as your profile photo, bio, location, credentials, and so on. Your Twitter profile should be regarded as an important part of your professional advocacy activities. When people encounter your online profile, what will be their first impression of you? What might motivate them to follow you?   Do you need a more professional picture to represent yourself online? Do you have an image for your header? As an example, you could use a picture of yourself holding a sign with a strong message. Maybe you’re working on a campaign or a project right now. In that case, why not include an image that represents this in the header.

How To Increase Your Twitter Engagement

We’ve looked at Twitter’s algorithmic elements, now let’s see how we can take advantage of this information to boost engagement on the platform.

What is Twitter engagement?

Simply put Twitter engagement is when someone engages with the content that you post. It includes:

  • Mentions of your Twitter handle
  • Comments on your Tweets
  • Likes of your tweets
  • Retweets of your tweets
  • Clicks on links you included in your tweets

Furthermore, Twitter followers and activity are positively correlated. A Twitter user who is active will have more followers, increasing the likelihood that they will be engaged.

What is a good engagement rate on Twitter?

Twitter’s average (high) engagement rate is currently 0.33 percent, significantly lower than that of Facebook, which stands at around 1 percent.

Engaging content is something people will see, like and retweet.  Early engagement is especially important. Tweets have a half-life of around 18-24 minutes, meaning that half of the engagement will be received in a little under half an hour. If your tweet doesn’t get much engagement within the first couple of hours, it won’t be shown to more people.

The following pointers will help you get the most out of your tweets, and if you use them consistently, you should see a boost in engagement.

Respond to engagement

The simplest way to get more engagement is to get in the habit of monitoring your notifications tab and responding to each person who @mentions, comments and retweets you. If you’re having trouble getting people to engage with you, be the one to start the discussion. Reciprocity is a big reason why people want to follow and interact with you. To start a conversation, ask a question, reference other accounts in your tweets, repost others’ tweets utilizing the quote tweet tool to add your own thoughts, or create a poll. Polls are a Twitter feature with built-in engagement – and not utilized as much as they could be.

Include a Relevant Hashtag

Hashtags, like Instagram, are an important aspect of Twitter usage. Tweets with hashtags have a 100 percent increase in engagement, according to Twitter’s own findings.

Tip: Visit symplur.com to find relevant hashtags for your disease area. If you can’t find a hashtag related to your topic, you might consider creating your own. For more information on using hashtags strategically read Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Hashtags in Healthcare…But Were Afraid To Ask!

Take Part In Twitter Chats

Joining a Twitter chat is a fantastic way to meet new people and engage in conversation. People will come to know you if you attend a Twitter chat on a regular basis, and you’ll be able to swiftly create and grow your own network of supporters. Again, you can find a list of disease-specific chats at Symplur. A great place to start is by joining the Empowered Patient Chat  #PatientChat held every other Friday at 10:00 am Pacific / 1:00 pm Eastern.

Add Images To Tweets

You’ve surely heard this before, but it’s worth reiterating: images matter — a lot.  People connect more emotionally with images than text, and in an increasingly crowded digital landscape images can break through the online content clutter. Adding visual appeal to your tweet is a smart way to make your content stand out among a sea of tweets. Not only does adding an image increase the visibility of a tweet, but tweets with images also get more retweets and likes (according to Twitter, a whopping 313% more engagement.)

The type of visual assets you can create include images, videos, infographics, quotes, and GIFs. Take advantage of the fact that you may add up to 4 images to your tweets (all you have to do is click on the photo icon after you’ve added your first image, then add up to 3 more images) and build a carousel of images to draw the reader’s eye.

Tip: Stick to the same colors, typefaces, and layouts in all of your photographs to establish a strong visual identity.

Reshare your best content

Twitter is a fast-paced environment where messages are quickly buried. As mentioned already because a tweet’s shelf life is so brief, you’ll need to publish your best content on Twitter several times to boost visibility. To find your top-performing tweets, use Twitter’s built-in analytics tool (analyticstwitter.com). It’s likely that if this content did well once, it’ll do so again.

Tip: Change things up by adding a powerful graphic, highlighting a crucial statistic, or converting a statement into a question. Experiment with publishing at various times and on various days to see how this affects your engagement rate.

Ask people to share your content

A simple “Please Retweet” can increase the likelihood that people will reshare your content. Yes, it sounds simple, but it works!

As always, thanks for reading. I hope you learned something new today.

How Treatment Side Effects Impact Mental Health and Decision-Making

/in , /by

Cancer is a long, hard road that no one wants to travel down. When it strikes you, though, being strong is no longer an option, but a necessity. You are probably prepared for the physical impacts of this life changing diagnosis, such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.

What you might not expect, though, are the impacts that your treatment can have on your mental health and decision-making.

Depression and Anxiety

If you are going through chemo, you probably braced yourself for the nausea and fatigue that you knew would accompany your treatment. Once you were in the midst of it, however, you may have found that the mental and emotional impacts of chemo treatments are as great as the physical ones, if not greater.

It’s not difficult to understand why. The treatments themselves are inherently stressful, but what you may find even more distressing is how the treatments disrupt your daily life. These disruptions often occur not only on infusion day, but also on the days leading up to and following treatment.

In other words, you might quickly begin to feel as if your entire life is revolving around your chemotherapy, whether you are preparing for your infusion or recovering from it. You may mourn the loss of your daily routine. Your fatigue may interfere with your ability to work, take care of your home, or simply do the things you enjoy. All this can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.

The good news, however, is that there are things you can do to manage your emotions and nurture your mental health, even in this challenging time. This begins, above all, with giving yourself permission to feel what you need to feel, to grieve when you need to grieve, or to be angry when you need to be angry.

At the same time, getting stuck in these dark emotions isn’t good for your physical or mental health. That’s why it’s essential to track how you are feeling and to know when and how to seek help when you need it.

Daily journaling can help you process your emotions, while leaning on your support group can provide the comfort and the perspective you need to move through them.

Expecting the Unexpected

One of the most challenging aspects of the cancer journey from a mental health perspective is how unpredictable it can be. It’s difficult to prepare for a challenge, after all, if you don’t know what’s coming.

For example, vision problems are a common but often unexpected side effect of cancer treatment. Many patients experience dry eyes, eye pain, and blurriness as a result of their treatment. This can further increase emotional distress not only because such visual impacts can compromise your daily functioning but also because vision and mental health, research is increasingly showing, are deeply interconnected. Indeed, the brain’s visual processing centers lie primarily in its deepest structures, many of which are also responsible for emotion and mood.

Treatment and Decision-Making

When you are in the fight of your life, and you are truly feeling all the physical and emotional impacts of that fight, it’s not only your mental health that may be undermined; you may find it difficult to make rational decisions. When you are worried, fatigued, and sick, your brain simply cannot process information as efficiently or well.

You might find yourself, for instance, making rash and unwise decisions, or you may find yourself unable to make any decision at all. This is why it is important to surround yourself both with friends and family and with healthcare providers you trust.

Such a support network can help guide you through choices that you may be unable to make on your own when the treatment side effects have sapped your energy, stolen your focus, and deflated your mood.

Indeed, because your support network is so important when you’re undergoing treatment, you may find yourself needing to make some major decisions even before your treatment journey begins. For example, if you live in an isolated, rural area, you may determine that it is best for your physical and mental health to relocate, at least temporarily, to the city.

Living in the city can ensure that you have consistent and easy access to your entire healthcare team, including mental healthcare providers. Not only can this make treatment easier when you’re feeling especially tired or unwell, but such proximity to your trusted team can enable you to feel more confident and comfortable with your care, mitigating some of the stress you feel and enhancing your ability to make sound decisions.

The Takeaway

The cancer journey is a scary one, but it does not have to lead to despair. The key is learning how the journey, including your treatment, can impact your mental health and your decision-making. Armed with such knowledge, you can take the steps you need to nurture your mental and emotional well-being even as you fight to recover your physical health.

There’s an App for That…Or There Should Be: Utilizing Technology for Better Health Outcomes

/in , , , , /by

Health literacy has always been a passion project of mine ever since I was diagnosed with cancer. I stand by the notion that plain language and clear communication leads to better health outcomes. However, communicating with our care team isn’t always easy. How many of us have gone into an appointment only to leave the office 10 minutes later, wondering what happened and what our copay went to? Were all of our issues and questions addressed? 

This is where we have to come in as advocates for our own health, and below are a few ways to do this: 

  • Try and focus on one ailment per appointment 
  • Write down a list of questions you want addressed prior to the appointment 
  • Ask questions during the appointment – you are the expert of your body and health 
  • If something doesn’t make sense, ask for the information to be explained in another way. Patients are found to be more compliant if they know: 
    • How to take their medications properly 
    • Why specific blood tests and imaging are ordered (i.e. if they’re necessary) 

How do we keep track of all of this information, though? There are patient portals that keep track of our appointments and records, but those can often be hard to navigate, and they lack the capability of being able to enter our own information (i.e. about how we’re feeling). Additionally, different health systems have different portals, leading not only to lost passwords, but a missed opportunity for integrated healthcare. This is essentially senseless for cancer patients who have to keep track of multiple appointments and medications, all while trying to keep afloat in a system that wasn’t built for patients and their caregivers. 

However, there’s a role technology can play here. I’ve heard of patients carrying around large binders of their records from appointment to appointment, but if we’re being honest, I don’t believe a physician or other member of a patient’s care team is going to take the time to go through it. Instead, utilizing the power of the device that we’re constantly carrying around and looking at may be the way to go (in addition to a smaller folder or journal for those that are comfortable with paper). 

If we think about it, there’s an app for everything, and having an app to keep track of our cancer journey should be no different. What should this app be able to do? Here are a few things that I think are especially important: 

  • Keep track of: 
    • Medications (dosage, picture of what it looks like, how to take it and what to do if you accidentally miss a dose or take more than what is prescribed, ability to refill) 
    • Blood work (results and what they mean [featuring a scale of what’s low vs. normal vs. high], what to ask your doctor about in terms of next steps) 
    • Imaging (results and what they mean, what to ask your doctor in terms of next steps) 
  • Ability to connect with all members of your care team (primary care doctor, oncologist, nurse navigator even if they work in different health systems) 
  • Ability to connect with caregivers and share information with them 
  • A diary to describe daily thoughts, symptoms, and side effects, flagging specific keywords that can alert a member of your care team 
  • A calendar with appointments (date/time, office location, directions) 
  • Tips to assist with mental health (i.e. offering local or national support groups [both virtual and in-person], counseling that accepts insurance and/or is offered on a sliding scale) 
  • Exercise routines featuring different forms of exercise (yoga, pilates, HIIT, weightlifting, playing a sport, walking and running, etc.) based on you’re feeling side effect- and energy-wise 
  • Information about nutrition through the different phases of a cancer journey (pre-treatment vs. in-treatment vs. post-treatment) that includes recipes 
  • Most importantly, all of this information should be in plain language that’s easy to understand in whatever language the patient is most comfortable reading 

Having an app that features all of these capabilities, I believe, would push the needle forward in patient care, not only creating better health outcomes, but a more satisfied patient. What would you add to the list? 

Transportation Solutions for People With Cancer Who Can’t Drive

/in , /by

For people with cancer, transportation can be a major issue. While everyday trips like going to the store or running errands can be difficult enough, transportation becomes a bigger issue when you have to get to your medical appointments and treatment solutions.

Not having access to adequate transportation can hinder your recovery and add stress, making it even more difficult to stay strong and maintain a positive attitude throughout treatment.

Thankfully, even if you don’t have a vehicle or aren’t able to drive yourself, there are resources you can reach out to and options to consider when you need transportation. Your quality of care shouldn’t depend on whether you can drive. Let’s cover a few of those solutions, so you’ll never have to miss an important appointment or experience a lesser quality of life.

Why You Shouldn’t Drive

As many as 30% of people with cancer skip their appointments regularly. One of the biggest reasons why is a lack of transportation. That doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have access to a vehicle or don’t know how to drive. But, your diagnosis and/or treatment could make it difficult or dangerous to get behind the wheel on your own, and you may be hesitant to ask someone else for help. If you’re going through radiotherapy or chemotherapy, it’s not uncommon to experience symptoms like

  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Impaired motor skills
  • Difficulty concentrating

Obviously, it’s not a good idea to get behind the wheel if you’re struggling with any of those problems. Treatment impacts everyone differently, so until you know which side effects impact you the most, it’s a good rule of thumb to have someone else drive you to and from your appointments.

Even certain medications can impair your driving ability, so you might need to rely on someone to help you with everyday errands, too. If you’ve had “near misses”, multiple accidents, or multiple traffic warnings or citations, it’s a good indicator that it’s time to stop driving yourself until you’re off certain medications or until you’re able to build your physical and mental strength.

Reach Out to Resources

One of the best ways to find transportation to your appointments is by utilizing resources specifically designed for people with cancer. The American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program is one of the most popular transportation solutions. It offers free transportation to and from appointments, and all you need to do is visit their website and provide information about your location and schedule.

If you’re not able to find a Road to Recovery driver near you, consider reaching out to local church groups or the hospital you use for your treatment. Often, they will have volunteers or special services designed to provide transportation for those in need. While they might not be limited to people with cancer, as long as they are a trusted organization and are willing to work with your schedule, these are great resources to keep in mind.

Finally, reach out to your insurance company. Some companies reimburse people in need for any fares they might have to pay on public transportation, while others have programs that provide rides to their clients if there are no other options.

Utilize Technology

We haven’t officially perfected self-driving vehicles yet, but it’s coming! Learning more about the technological advancements in the auto industry can help you look for better safety features in your next vehicle, including things like

  • Lane assist
  • Blind spot detection
  • Parking assist

Some vehicles will even brake automatically if they sense a potential collision, which can be a huge help if you’re having trouble focusing or you’re tired after a treatment. Using technology to make driving safer and easier for you can build your confidence if you have no other choice but to transport yourself. However, technology isn’t perfect and there are still risks involved. If possible, it’s still safer to have someone else transport you while you’re undergoing treatment.

To that end, you can use ridesharing apps to help you get to your appointments. Uber created a dashboard specific to healthcare organizations that allows them to schedule car rides for patients. UberHealth gives providers the opportunity to coordinate rides for patients who might otherwise not have access to transportation. The Patient Empowerment Network’s digital sherpa® program teaches cancer patients tech skills, including how to use ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft. Thus, patients using the program always have access to transportation.

If you truly have no other transportation options, you can use technology to your advantage by utilizing telehealth. While some appointments will always need to be in person, including radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatments, you can practice better self-management and improve remote monitoring by connecting with your doctor online. Many physicians have their own digital portals, but even a video call can ensure you and your medical team are on the same page when it comes to your treatment.

Transportation difficulties should never keep you from getting the treatment you need. Keep these solutions in mind to keep yourself safe as you drive to and from appointments, and consider reaching out to family members or friends who might be able to help, too. You’re never going to burden someone with your request, and a lack of transportation shouldn’t be a reason to skip out on the treatments you need to beat the disease.

Three Ways to Partner in Your Waldenström Macroglobulinemia Care

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

How can Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) patients become partners in their care? In the “Waldenström Macroglobulinemia Treatment Decisions: What’s Right for You?” program, expert Dr. Jorge Castillo from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute shares three key ways that WM patients can take a more active role for optimal health outcomes.

1. Ask Your Doctor When the Appropriate Time to Treat Is

WM patients can often remain in the watch-and-wait phase of their disease for many years, but it’s important for the oncologist to monitor the patient during this time. Ask your doctor when the appropriate time to treat will be, make sure that your bloodwork is monitored on a regular basis, and report how you’re feeling and all of your symptoms.

 2. Establish Your Treatment Goals and Plan

Depending on each Waldenström macroglobulinemia patient, treatment goals may vary depending on the patient age, overall health, lifestyle, and other factors. Work together with your healthcare team to determine your treatment goals and then learn about treatment options. Take action to both ask your WM provider about treatment options and ask about credible Waldenström macroglobulinemia online resources to do further research. And then discuss your treatment options with your WM provider to determine the best treatment for you.

3. Become a Proactive Patient

WM patients can take actions to further advocate for their best care. Educate yourself about your condition by reading credible online resources like International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation, Lymphoma Research Foundation, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Bring a friend or family member to your appointments with your Waldenström macroglobulinemia doctor to help take notes or to ask questions – and make sure to advocate for yourself if you feel ignored or unheard.

By taking a more active role in their care, Waldenström macroglobulinemia patients can help determine the best treatment plan for optimal health outcomes.

Finding Value in Your Care: Take Action Checklist

/in , , , , /by

1. Am I getting the best care or even offered the best?  

  • Is the care appropriate for my age? My condition?
  • Am I being given more than one option, if at all possible, with the pros and cons explained to me?
  • Is my provider willing to recommend me to a colleague for a second opinion if I feel that I need one?
  • Does my healthcare provider care for me as an individual or do I feel lumped together with other patients?
    • Do I feel comfortable asking questions? 

2. Are the ordered scans and blood work helping me in my care or are they ordered “just because?”

  • Does my provider explain the reasoning behind these orders (i.e. what information we’re looking for, how this will help progression of my care, etc.)?
  • When the results come back:
    • Do I have access to them? If so, are they easy to find?
    • Are they explained to me in a way that makes sense?

3. Is insurance providing me coverage or am I consistently receiving denials/is my provider having to do a peer-to-peer? 

  • Does my coverage make sense?
    • Are providers transparent about how much something may cost?
  • Are terms explained?
  • Can I easily receive access to a care representative?

4. Does my employer offer benefits that fit what I need? 

  • Health insurance 
  • Short-term and long-term disability 
  • Options for FSA and/or HSA accounts 
  • Employee assistance programs 

5. Are the medications that are prescribed working as intended? 

  • Do I understand how to use them correctly? 
  • Do I feel comfortable telling my doctor if I have any side effects and need to switch to something else? 
  • Are they affordable or are there alternatives? 

6. Is a patient portal available and easily accessible? 

  • Is it easy to find what I’m looking for? 
  • What capabilities does the portal have?
    • Can I message my provider?
    • Can I view lab and imaging results?
    • Can I schedule appointments and see upcoming appointments?
    • Can I see visit summaries of previous appointments? 

Is This for Real? Discerning Health Information Across the Web

/in , /by

Googling something is easy. Researching a topic and finding well-sourced, credible information is another story, especially in the healthcare sector. As we’ve learned through the pandemic, there’s a ton of health information on the internet and other forms of media, including television, social media, advertisements, and video that competes for our attention. Unfortunately, it’s up to us to determine what is “true vs. false,” to be able to apply it to our lives and potentially share with others, including family members, friends, support group members, and our healthcare staff.

How do we discern health information that’s fact vs fiction when we’re looking at different sources?

Where is the information coming from? Try looking for:

Additional websites that are reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals:

Social media is a good place to make friends and join support groups that consist of other people with the same disease

  • Sharing health information about different experiences, including symptoms and side effects can be a great way to learn about different aspects of the disease you may have not considered or heard about
    • However, remember that people’s experiences are purely anecdotal and every patient is different. This can be true of blogs and other healthcare websites
  • If you find information that may be relevant to you and/or that you may be concerned about, share it with your healthcare team

Enabling Patients to Win Back Their Health with Digital Technology

/in , /by

Part of the far-reaching impact of the recent pandemic has been the way it has impacted mobile health. In an atmosphere where mobility is limited due to necessity, people (both patients and caregivers) have been forced to rely on mobile and digital solutions to connect and find new ways for digital delivery of healthcare. Recent statistics from IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science’s 2021 trends report show us that more than 90,000 new digital health applications (apps) were added to app stores in 2020 for a total of 350,000 health apps currently available from the various global app stores. On average, we are talking about adding more than 250 new healthcare apps every day. The global mobile health market is expected to reach 189 Billion USD by 2025.

But if you look deeper into it, the picture gets a little skewed. Only 110 health-related apps downloaded more than 10 million times (nearly half of all downloads) which means that downloads and the corresponding use of apps are heavily skewed. This basically means that although mobile health is on the rise, it is difficult to gain patient trust. Patients are likely to seek help only from a handful of trusted and well-reviewed sources. The popularity of the NHS (National Health Service) app bears this out. It has been the most downloaded free app in England (growing from 200,000 users in January 2020 to more than 16 million in September 2021).

Despite this, the future of healthcare is clearly mobile as digital health has seen record-breaking investment in both 2020 and 2021. Globally, digital health investments got a massive infusion of $24 billion of investments in digital health in 2020 and again $14.7 billion in funding halfway through 2021, according to Rock Health’s quarterly report on digital health funding. The investments indicate that the massive uptick in app downloads is likely to continue post-pandemic as well. This is good news for patients as digital technology can indeed pave a path for them to win back a degree of control over their own health management.

Why It Matters?

While digital empowerment has been traditionally associated with improvements in both clinical and financial outcomes, its impact on health literacy has been limited. The latter is key to unlocking true digital empowerment in healthcare. Without adequate health literacy, patients cannot hope to achieve the outcomes they want in healthcare, nor stop themselves from making preventable mistakes in healthcare management and promotion. Digital health literacy can go a long way in ensuring that patients have access to the right accredited sources, in the right tone and language that enables them to take the right decisions at the right time.

How Digital Technology Can Empower the Patient

How Digital Technology Can Empower the Patient

Building a Doctor-Patient Partnership

Empowering the patient to become a full-fledged partner of the healthcare delivery team is not a novel concept, but needs to be applied more widely. There is evidence in a 2015 study published in PLOS ONE that measured patient engagement within the scope of an active patient-partner program. The results were unequivocal in that patients who acted as a healthcare partner typically assumed a much more active role in their treatment. While the care was still monitored (as distinct from patient self-management), the patient triggered all follow-ups and played an active role in their recovery.

Better Health Literacy for Patients and Careers

Digital technology can be key to driving higher and better patient engagement through patient education and quick access to information. Digital technology, such as those enabled by IT Consulting Los Angeles, also enables a greater degree of personalization through improved information access, two-way remote monitoring, treatment adherence etc. all supporting better health outcomes.

Patient Partnering Requires an Effective Technology Foundation

Patient as a partner philosophy requires giving patients comprehensive access to clinical information. This presents a greater technical challenge than many anticipate. Gartner estimates that as much as 80 percent of clinically relevant content, like medical images and third-party archives, lives outside of the electronic patient record (EPR). This means that care providers are hindered technically (rather than having philosophical differences or being bound by organization policy) from enabling patients to be on the same wavelength on their healthcare journey.

Encouraging Self-Management

As outlined before, digital technology has tremendous potential in enabling better patient outcomes through the patient undertaking a more active and informed role in their own recovery. Examples of this are evident in the way patients use technical tools to find information online, determine treatment options, rate providers, and provide reviews. Healthcare needs to be more accepting of self-management tendencies and technologies.

Enables Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)

RPM uses technical tools to monitor patient vitals and health status outside the clinic and update remote care providers in real time. This is picking up momentum with the increasing popularity of the bio sensing wearables and more portable devices capable of automatically monitoring a broader range of physiology (from posture to brain activity), processing this data into actionable insights and transmitting it to the relevant Electronic Patient Record (EPR) for care providers in real time. This can literally open frontiers for patients with chronic conditions leading to radically improved health outcomes and quality of life. Care providers also get an immediate overview of a patient’s medical history in real-time, thereby enabling early diagnoses and early intervention – even in the case of emergencies.

Top Ten Writing Tips and Techniques For Patient Advocates

/in , /by

Patient advocacy involves sharing your unique knowledge and experience with a disease or condition with the ultimate aim of raising awareness and influencing people to effect the desired change.

As patient advocates, we need a variety of tools in our advocacy toolbox in order to effectively advocate for our cause. One of the most important tools is the ability to write compellingly for a variety of audiences and formats.

Whatever audience you’re writing for, there are some basic “rules” to follow. Incorporating these into your writing will help you become a better and more persuasive writer.

1.Use Plain English

Using plain everyday words and avoiding jargon as much as possible is the first rule of good writing.  For example, instead of “commence”, write “start”; instead of “in the event that”, use “if”. To quote the great writer Mark Twain “don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in.”

Medicine is full of abbreviations, scientific jargon, and medical terminology that not all readers will understand. People read at various levels. Knowing and understanding the audience for whom you are writing is crucial when creating content. Most people overestimate their readers’ knowledge. When writing, consider your intended audience’s level of medical knowledge.

2. Write in a conversational tone

Write as if you were speaking directly to the reader. Using pronouns like “we” and “you” fosters a sense of relatability and trust. The idea is to engage the reader and personal language does just that. It’s important to create a consistent tone of voice in your content, and at the same time, choose the tone that suits your audience.

3. Write short sentences and paragraphs

To separate sections of information, use headings and paragraph breaks. follow the one-idea-per-sentence rule. Presenting information in short, manageable chunks helps you keep the reader’s attention.

4. Avoid using the passive voice

One of the tell-tale signs of scientific writing is the use of passive sentences. To make sentences more direct, use the present and active tenses instead. The term “active voice” refers to a sentence that has a subject that acts on its verb. The passive voice indicates that a subject is the object of a verb’s action.

Active Voice: ”the nurse can vaccinate your child”

Passive Voice: “your child can be vaccinated by the nurse”

Take note of how the sentence in “active voice” is shorter than the sentence in “passive voice.” Passive voice sentences usually require more words, such as “was” or “are.”

5. Cut out the deadweight

If you want your sentences to be shorter, remove unnecessary words (‘very’ is a classic offender). To help you avoid overused cliches and phrases you could try a tool like ClicheFinder.net. This simple tool finds and highlights words, expressions, and phrases in your sentences that are trite, stale, or overused to help you improve your writing.

6. Use the rule of three

In the sentence above, you’ll notice that I used the  “rule of three” (“trite, stale, overused”).  This “rule” is based on the idea that reading about things that come in threes is inherently satisfying. Consider the impact of phrases like “faith, hope, and charity” or “mind, body, spirit.” Using the rule of three in your writing helps the reader remember your points.

7. Craft compelling headlines

Consider how many headlines you read every day while searching the web or scrolling through social media. What makes you want to read an article or a blog post? It’s frequently the headline. Your headline is likely to be the first (and possibly only) impression you make on a potential reader so it pays to take time over crafting a compelling title. There is no hard and fast rule for how long your title should be, but try not to make it any longer than necessary. Aim for 6–10 words or 50–60 characters as a rough guideline.

The next time you write a headline, you might consider trying the following tips.

  • Personalize your title by adding a “You” or “Yours.” This makes your headline more effective since it speaks to your readers’ concerns and sounds more conversational.
  • Avoid the passive voice in your titles. Use strong action-oriented words and instead.
  • By nature we are curious beings, so try to leverage that curiosity in your titles.

8. Hook readers with your opening paragraph

You’ve piqued a reader’s interest with the headline; now you have the chance to pique their interest even further with the first paragraph. Make sure your opening sentence grabs the reader’s attention right away. Telling a story, sharing an eye-catching statistic, or using a memorable quote are all effective ways to accomplish this.

9. Share personal stories

As I mentioned above one of the most effective ways to capture attention is by sharing a story.  Writing is more than just disseminating information. It should also make people feel something. Your brain reacts differently to a story than it does to any other type of information, including straight facts and data. While facts and figures engage only a small portion of the brain, stories engage multiple brain regions that combine to create rich emotional responses.

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to breathe life into your writing. To quote a  North American Indian proverb “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”

10. Proofread before publishing

You should always proofread your work before publishing it. Choose a quiet, distraction-free place to do so. Turn off your phone, television, and radio so you can focus fully on the task at hand.

It helps if you print out your document. You’ll always notice more errors on a printed copy of your work. Using a blank sheet of paper to cover up the lines below the one you’re reading keeps you from skipping ahead of possible mistakes.

Another helpful suggestion is to read it aloud. When you read aloud, your ear may pick up on errors that your eyes may have missed. It’s especially useful for identifying run-on sentences and identifying those that don’t flow or make sense.

Aside from obvious spelling  mistakes, check for the following:

  • Have you used correct punctuation? Poor punctuation really undermines your professionalism. Pay particular attention to misplaced (or missing) commas and apostrophes. One of the most common mistakes is confusing “its” and “it’s.”
  • Are there any long sentences you can shorten?
  • Are you using the passive voice in your sentences? If so change to an active voice.
  • Do your paragraphs flow logically with smooth transitions between each paragraph and from one idea to the next.
  • Are there any sentences that are repetitious? Or are there any parts of the piece that need more context?
  • Have you referenced your quotes and facts correctly? If you are presenting facts in your content, be sure the sources are reliable. Check and re-check the source of quotes and statistics.
  • When publishing your writing online, such as on a blog, ensure that all links to external sites are functional and that the post is properly formatted. If you have a WordPress blog, I highly recommend installing the Yoast SEO plugin, which evaluates your post’s readability, flags passive sentences, and reminds you to use relevant keywords to improve web searchability.

Ideally, you should let your writing rest for a day to gain a new perspective on it. Better yet, have someone you trust proofread the text for you. You may be surprised at how many mistakes you missed.

Finally, one last point. End with a strong call to action. After reading your piece, what is one thing you want readers to remember or take action on? In your conclusion, motivate and empower your readers to put the information you have provided into practice.

Writing is a skill that improves with practice. I hope you find these tips helpful and encouraging as you work on improving the important skill of writing to persuade and inspire your audience.

Care Partner Tips for Communicating with Healthcare Teams

/in , , , , /by

Care Partner Tips for Communicating with Healthcare Teams from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Ensure that you are in a position to ask the right questions of your healthcare team. Diahanna suggests familiarizing yourself with various online resources so you are aware of the potential needs of your loved ones. Watch as care partners, Diahanna, Sherea and Patricia share more crucial tips to help others communicate with one’s healthcare team.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Essential Myeloma Testing

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Essential Myeloma Testing from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Being empowered to speak up about your myeloma care is not only important but essential. Dr. Saad Usmani, a myeloma expert, shares advice for partnering with your doctor and provides key questions to ask about myeloma test results.

Dr. Saad Usmani is the Chief of Myeloma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Learn more about Dr. Usmani, here.

See More From INSIST! Myeloma

Related Programs:

How Does Essential Testing Affect Myeloma Care and Treatment (1)

How Does Essential Testing Affect Myeloma Care and Treatment? 

 How Is Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Testing Used in Myeloma Care_

How Is Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Testing Used in Myeloma Care? 

 What Should You Ask Your Doctor About Myeloma Testing_

What Should You Ask Your Doctor About Myeloma Testing?

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:

If patients are concerned about voicing their concerns and I think many of us are, why should they feel like they’re a partner in their care?

Dr. Usmani:

Well, that’s the only way that they will feel empowered. And we have to remember why we’re doing this, right? So, we’re doing this so that we can alleviate the burden of this disease from our patients and give them as good of quality of life as possible. And it’s a partnership. And in that partnership, the patient is the most important partner. Everyone else – it’s like you’re the main character.

The patient’s the main character in the movie. And all of us are supporting cast around them. I think that’s how you have to approach it. That’s how – that’s why it’s very important. And of course, patients – we’re not expecting our patients to read the papers and be knowledgeable about everything. But have a general sense of what to expect and it will be – so, having a more educated patient helps them deal with treatments better and have realistic expectations of what’s to come.

Katherine Banwell:

Right. As I mentioned at the start of this program, Dr. Usmani, patients should insist on essential myeloma testing prior to choosing a treatment. As we conclude, I think it’s important to point out that some patients may not know if that can even receive these important tests. So, what key question should they ask their physician about them?

Dr. Usmani:

So, you should be asking your physician about what kind of myeloma you have? What stage of myeloma you have? How much involvement in the bones you have? Do you have any chromosome abnormalities or any features of disease that put you at a higher chance of the myeloma coming back?

As you ask these questions, your physician will be prompted to think about “Okay. Am I missing something in my work?” And you can always ask is there anything else you need to do in terms of testing to give you a better idea of how best to approach my treatment and follow-up. 

How to Partner With Your Doctor on Treatment Decisions

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

How to Partner With Your Doctor on Treatment Decisions from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) expert Dr. Mark Heaney explains the role of shared decision-making when choosing therapy and discusses how MPN patients can benefit from taking an active role in their care.

Dr. Mark Heaney is a hematologic oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center of Columbia University. Learn more about Dr. Heaney, here.

See More from Engage

Related Programs:

Why You Should Understand Your MPN Treatment Plan

Why You Should Understand Your MPN Treatment Plan

 Will Your MPN Progress? What You Need to Know.

Will Your MPN Progress? What You Need to Know.

 MPN Caregivers: How to Provide Support During Appointments

MPN Caregivers: How to Provide Support During Appointments 

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:    

 The terms “shared decision-making” is being used lately when we talk about patient care. What does that term mean to you?

Dr. Heaney:

Well, I think it’s really important for patients to be involved in their care, and I think it’s part of shared care, and I think that patients who are really in partnership with their physicians are able to make better choices, and there’s much better communication.

So, to me, that’s the basis of the physician-patient relationship. It’s less of an asymmetrical relationship and much more of an equal relationship.

Katherine Banwell:

Why should patients take an active role in their care? How do they benefit?

Dr. Heaney:

Well, patients who take an active role in their care, I think, provide much more input to their physicians and let them know how they’re feeling, and I think that allows their physicians to know much better what kind of side effects they might be having, whether they’re getting any benefit from the drug, whether they’re having symptoms that are related to the disease, and that kind of communication is really central to patients being able to make the best decisions for themselves and getting the best advice from their physicians.

Why Should You Ask About Lung Cancer Biomarker Testing?

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

Why Should You Ask About Lung Cancer Biomarker Testing? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Biomarker testing is a vital component of lung cancer care. Dr. Manish Patel, a lung cancer expert, shares important questions for patients to ask about this essential testing to help ensure optimal care.

Dr. Manish Patel is a medical oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation at the University of Minnesota. Learn more about Dr. Patel, here.

See More From Engage Lung Cancer

Related Resources:

 
 Shared-Decision Making Your Role in Lung Cancer Treatment Choices

Transcript:

 Katherine Banwell:

Why should lung cancer patients ask their doctor about biomarker testing?

Dr. Patel:

It’s extremely important. Biomarker testing is really the guiding principles by which we make a treatment plan for lung cancer patients in 2021.

We know that every patient’s lung cancer is a little bit different at the molecular level. So, they might look the same under the microscope, but, you know, if we get to a more deeper level, we can understand that they are quite different and they may respond differently to different treatments.

And so, it’s extremely important. And I think it’s important to know that nationwide we don’t always do a great job of doing real adequate biomarker testing. And so, from a patient perspective, it’s really useful to be an advocate for yourself and to ask your physician, you know, “Have we done biomarker testing, and to what extent have we done biomarker testing?” because it’s not uniform across the country at the moment.

Katherine Banwell:

Are there specific biomarkers that affect treatment choices?

Dr. Patel:

Absolutely there are. So, as an example, the molecular testing with DNA mutation analysis – so we actually look at the mutations that are present within a patient’s tumor, and that really does define a group of patients both in the curative setting and in the setting with more advanced disease that defines our treatment choices. Likewise, PD-L1 is a biomarker now that is being incorporated onto whether or not we use immunotherapy or whether we use immunotherapy with chemotherapy for patients that don’t have mutations.

So, it’s become an extremely important part of our treatment regimen. 

Shared Decision-Making: Your Role in Lung Cancer Treatment Choices

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

Shared-Decision Making: Your Role in Lung Cancer Treatment Choices from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Lung cancer treatment decisions involve various factors, but what role should the patient play when choosing therapy? Lung cancer expert Dr. Manish Patel explains the considerations involved, the concept of shared decision-making when making a treatment choice, and provides questions to ask about a proposed treatment plan.

Dr. Manish Patel is a medical oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation at the University of Minnesota. Learn more about Dr. Patel, here.

See More From Engage Lung Cancer

Related Resources:

Expert Perspective Exciting Advances in Lung Cancer Treatment and Research

 Why Should You Ask About Lung Cancer Biomarker Testing?

Why Should You Ask About Lung Cancer Biomarker Testing?

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:

When making a treatment choice, what three key considerations are there for lung cancer patients?

Dr. Patel:

Well, I think always the first one that’s most important is really the patient in front of me, you know, what their physical function is, what their other medical problems that they might have. Number two is always going to be to consider the stage of the cancer, how advanced the cancer is. And then really with regards to lung cancer these days, we really have to consider what kind of lung cancer it is. And I don’t mean necessarily just differentiating between the kinda major subtypes of lung cancer, but really looking at more detailed understanding of the specific type of lung cancer because it does, sort of, guide our treatment.

Katherine Banwell:

The term “shared decision-making” is being used a lot lately when talking about patient care. What does that term mean to you?

Dr. Patel:

Well, I think what that means is as the oncologist – the treating oncologist – my role is to educate the patient on what the treatment options are, give my recommendations of what I think the best options are for that individual patient.

But really the shared decision-making ultimately means that we have a discussion about what the goals of the patient are and how those match up with what my recommendations are and then come up with a treatment plan that suits both mine and the patient’s needs.

Katherine Banwell:

I know some patients are hesitant to talk to their doctor about questions they may have about how they’re feeling.

Does that come into the shared decision process?

Dr. Patel:

I think it does in some ways. I mean, we do try to explore how much the patient is understanding from what we’re talking about, also make a lot of attempts to understand the concerns or hesitations that a patient might have about what we’re talking about, or perhaps if they are hesitant to talk about certain aspects of their health with us. But we do try to tease that out as much as we can in our patient encounters so we can make really the best decision for that patient.

Katherine Banwell:

Are there questions that patients should consider asking about their proposed treatment plan?

Dr. Patel:

Well, I think it’s always useful for patients to ask, “What can they expect?” You know, we talk a lot about potential side effects – what can happen with the treatments – and oftentimes we’re discussing them in sort of worst-case scenarios.

But I think in some ways it’s sometimes helpful for patients to know what do we expect to happen, why we are discussing the extreme cases – best- and worst-case scenarios – really having an idea of what they should expect from treatment. 

What Should You Ask Your Doctor About Myeloma Testing?

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

What Should You Ask Your Doctor About Myeloma Testing? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Testing and test results may affect your myeloma care and treatment. Dr. Nina Shah, a myeloma expert, shares key questions to ask your doctor about testing and reviews testing techniques for myeloma. 

Dr. Nina Shah is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Fepartment of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and treats patients at the Hematology and Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic at UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Learn more about Dr. Shah, here.

See More From INSIST! Myeloma

Related Programs:

 

What Key Steps Should Follow a Myeloma Diagnosis

What Key Steps Should Follow a Myeloma Diagnosis?

 How Does Myeloma Testing Affect Care and Treatment

How Does Myeloma Testing Affect Care and Treatment? 

 What Standard Testing Follows a Myeloma Diagnosis_ (1)

What Standard Testing Follows a Myeloma Diagnosis?

Transcript:

Katherine Banwell:

If a patient wants testing beyond the standard, what should they be asking their doctors for?

Dr. Shah:

Well, thankfully a lot of these tests can be done as a standard. We actually have some approved testing for it. So, the most important thing is to ask the doctor at all. For example, the patient may ask, 1.) “When will my next bone marrow biopsy be?” and 2.) “When I get that bone marrow biopsy, will you be looking at cytogenetics and FISH?” and 3.) “When you get the bone marrow biopsy, will you be also looking for minimal residual disease?” And finally, “What technique will you use to look for that minimal residual disease?” There are different ones that the patients might find useful to know about.

Katherine Banwell:

What are some of the different techniques?

Dr. Shah:

There are a variety of ways that we can look for minimal residual disease. One of them is called flow cytometry. What that is is you send all the cells that are in the bone marrow through a chute, and in that chute you can sort of detect one or however many cells that are – that have a specific characteristic on their cell surface.

You think of it as a bunch of balls with lollipops sticking out of it. And based on the characteristics of those lollipops, you can tell if there are any plasma cells or myeloma cells. Another thing we do with minimal residual disease, another technique, is called the next-gen sequencing or NGS.

And for that, we need to know the specific DNA sequence that is very personal to your myeloma cells. So, your particular plasma cell or the cancer cell will have a sort of sequence, a specific sequence that can be identified when you’re first diagnosed. And if you have access to that tissue, that can be sent off to the company, and they use that as sort of a template or a measure – an individual identification. And then, they scan the subsequent bone marrow samples against that to see if there’s any sequence that matches that original one, and that’s the way you can detect one in a million positive cells, if there are any.