Tag Archive for: blood draw

How MPN Providers Want You to Prepare for Telemedicine Visits

/in , , , , , , , /by

How MPN Providers Want You to Prepare for Telemedicine Visits from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

What are some ways myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) providers want patients to prepare for telemedicine visits? MPN expert Dr. Jamile Shammo shares advice to avoid common obstacles to optimal telemedicine visits.

Download Resource Guide

See More from MPN TelemEDucation

Related Resources:

Pros and Cons of Telemedicine From an MPN Patient Perspective

Pros and Cons of Telemedicine From an MPN Patient Perspective

 Using Telemedicine to Help MPN Clinical Trial Enrollment After COVID-19

Using Telemedicine to Help MPN Clinical Trial Enrollment After COVID-19

 Can Mobile Health Apps Lower the Burden of MPN Symptoms

Transcript:

Lisa Hatfield:

Do you ever wonder what your doctor wishes you would do before having a telemedicine appointment with them? After all, they are meeting with patients almost daily for telehealth visits so they know what makes a successful appointment. Listen as Dr. Jamile Shammo shares her advice on how to prep to make the most of your time together: 

Dr. Jamile Shammo:

When preparing for a televisit, I think it’s so important to know whether or not you would have a connectivity issue. A lot of times, I’m trying to connect with the patient and then we realize that their phone isn’t equipped to handle the televisit and that is kind of disappointing to find that out a minute before you try to connect then that visit becomes a telephone encounter, which is again, less satisfying for some patients. I mean it does the job, but again, it doesn’t provide me with the exam…part of the exam that I’d like to do, at least in that way. 

Lisa Hatfield:

If you are unsure on what platform to use for your appointment or if you have to download an application, it is worth asking your care team ahead of time as Dr. Shammo says. Most institutions have a person that can assist you with setup prior to the appointment, especially if it is your first virtual appointment. 

Dr. Jamile Shammo:

It would be helpful to make sure that you have a blood draw or if your physician would like to have a blood draw in my case, I always like to have a CBC beforehand or perhaps a chemistry or maybe ion studies or what have you, to have that so that there will be something to discuss. Make sure that your physician has had those results before you have the visit. Sometimes it is also disappointing that the patient thinks I’ve received those results when I actually haven’t and I have no control over that, so that would be the other piece.

Lisa Hatfield:

Take control of your visit by asking staff ahead of time if you can have a blood draw or other testing and that those results are shared with the doctor prior to your visit, that way you can discuss them live. You can typically request this by calling or using a patient communication portal. Just like with in-person visits, have your questions ready or items you would like to talk about in order to utilize your time effectively. 

Share Your Feedback:

Create your own user feedback survey

Can Prostate Cancer Patients Rely on Telemedicine Without Risk?

/in , , , , , , , /by

Can Prostate Cancer Patients Rely on Telemedicine Without Risk? from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

Prostate cancer patients may have concerns about risks posed with telemedicine care. Dr. Heather Cheng from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance discusses telemedicine risks and benefits and specific situations when in-person visits help provide optimal patient care.

See More from Prostate Cancer TelemEDucation

Related Programs:

What Are PSA and PSMA?

What Are PSA and PSMA?

 Telemonitoring and How It Benefits Prostate Cancer Patients

Telemonitoring and How It Benefits Prostate Cancer Patients 

Are Mobile-Optimized Tools Making an Impact in Prostate Cancer?

Transcript:

Sherea Cary:

Is relying on telemedicine when managing prostate cancer without risk?

Dr. Heather Cheng:

No, I think with anything, there’s always some risk, I think the risks that I see as much as there are possibilities and benefits is that it can be difficult sometimes to get all the information about a patient from two dimensions. There’s a lot to be said for seeing somebody in a room in 3D, and really getting a sense of their overall help, being able to examine them, so sometimes there are things we can’t replace in terms of listening to somebody’s heart and lungs then maybe doing other examination and procedures to really understand where the patient is things like biopsies, things like treatment, seems like blood draw may still need to be part of the patient’s care in order to give the best recommendations, so even though I think there’s a huge amount of possibility for benefit of telemedicine, there are some things that cannot be replaced, and that’s the danger that if patients don’t come, if I never see somebody in 3D in clinic, then I’m losing some valuable information about that patient, and so there are times when we still like to see people maybe it’s not as frequently, so it’s more convenient, but there are times when we definitely still need to meet with people face-to-face, do procedures or medications or just lay eyes on them in real life.

So, I think that’s a danger. If that’s not present at all, then we’re going to miss important things in people’s healthcare.

An MPN Expert’s Top Three Tips for a Telemedicine Visit

/in , , , , , /by

An MPN Expert’s Top Three Tips for a Telemedicine Visit from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

As a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) patient, what steps can be taken to prepare for telemedicine visits? Expert Dr. Jamile Shammo from Rush University Medical Center provides her key tips to help ensure an optimal telehealth visit. 

See More From the MPN TelemEDucation Resource Center

Related Resource:

Transcript:

Dr. Jamile Shammo: 

When preparing for a televisit, I think it’s so important to know whether or not you would have a connectivity issue. A lot of times I’m trying to connect with the patient and then we realize that their phone isn’t equipped to handle the televisit and that is kind of disappointing to find that out a minute before you try to connect then that visit becomes a telephone encounter, which is again, less satisfying for some patients. I mean it does the job, but again, it doesn’t provide me with the exam…part of the exam that I’d like to do, at least in that way. So, I think prepare yourself and make sure that your device is able to connect and actually most clinics will have a person that may be able to help you navigate through the televisit pieces that would help you get through and connect with the provider, and then obviously with an MPN or any other visit, patient with a heme malignancy, it would be helpful to make sure that you have a blood draw or if your physician would like to have a blood draw in my case, I always like to have a CBC beforehand or perhaps a chemistry or maybe ion studies or what have you, to have that so that there will be something to discuss and make sure that your physician has had those results before you have the visit. 

Sometimes it is also disappointing that the patient thinks I’ve received those results when I actually haven’t and I have no control over that, so that would be the other piece. All of us do our best so that we can make sure that all those pieces are in place so that we can conduct the visit. And I know it’s a lot of work on everybody’s part. But in the end, what matters is that we are providing the best care possible in those very challenging times.