The Information Age is now officially a part of the health care conversation. Or vice versa.
In a 2012 national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, it was found that 81% of U.S. adults use the Internet - with 59% seeking out health information online in the past year. Perhaps more importantly, 35% of U.S. adults say they have gone online specifically to try to "figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have". In other words, 35% of U.S. adults are considered "online diagnosers".
Meanwhile, in the year 2013, consumers continue to be faced with issues of access to care. The gatekeeper model continues to regulate a patient's access to care from many health care professionals in many states, including Texas and California.
Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore, and it is definitely not 1950. Now that we are in the Information Age, the model will need to change - and here's why.
It would appear at times that the human condition thrives on complexity. Humans just love to make situations more complex. And when they do, it usually gets them in trouble.
We see it in sport. At times you would think that it requires some modern day rocket scientist to coach a pro football team. At least that's what the pundits would have you believe. We do it in our own daily lives. We somehow find ways to make our days far more complex than they need be. Perhaps a more complex set of problems validates our challenging existence for the benefit of empathy and perhaps even rationalization of our behaviors.
We also do it in health care. Yes, the human body is based on a complex interaction of systems. But it is also operates on some very straightforward principles such as stimulus-response and homeostasis.
Rarely is the best solution the more complex option. Simplicity unto itself could be a prime health care solution. Just ask Albert Einstein.
The best month of the year will be upon us tomorrow. No, it's not the month of my birthday. No, it's not the holiday season. No, it's not even the start of college football season - and that's a darn good month.
March is upon us. The days are getting longer. Daylight savings time begins this month. SXSW is a March phenomenon in Austin. But wait - there's more. How about March Madness? Add in the start of the F1 season, and you have a lot of reasons to celebrate - or, at least I do.
In the meantime, we have rhubarb to discuss. With no further adieu, here is Episode 061.
It is a phrase that has always evoked a raised eyebrow or two. "Fear of success". It is easy to imagine someone having a fear of failure, but success? Really?
Absolutely. It is far more common than we might imagine.
Don't we all want to be successful? Why would anyone have a fear of success?
Your comfort zone has to allow you to embrace it. Fear of success has a best friend: self sabotage. The two co-exist quite nicely.
So how does an athlete, a patient, or a friend have a fear of success? A few examples are in order.
Hype. Pageantry. Red carpet. Lame jokes. Lousy masters of ceremony. Paparazzi. Outfits that only People Magazine could appreciate. Wardrobe malfunctions. And all points in between.
You've seen it on TV many times before: the Academy Awards. But for that matter, it could be the Grammy Awards or the Golden Globes or any one of countless awards ceremonies. Frankly, the statuette doesn't matter. Nor does the genre. And you certainly don't have to be a fan of awards shows on TV.
What is most important is the passion underlying these celebrations of creativity. It is the beauty of an artist, diving deep within, to find something bigger than themselves - and then to share it with the world.
Runners, it's time to put this craziness to rest. I hear it repeated, over and over again: runners seeking treatment from clinicians that relate the running injury to a leg length discrepancy. Worse yet, they then wonder why they aren't getting better.
It is highly unlikely - I repeat, highly unlikely - that your leg length discrepancy has any relevance to your running injury. Period.
It is time for clinicians to get over this "diagnosis of irrelevance" for the vast majority of clinical scenarios. It is utter crap. It does a disservice to both the current sport sciences related to running and the clinical reasoning process. But it pays - handsomely.
Today is a sad day in my world.
This morning I received the news of the passing of Dr. Barb Melzer, PT, PhD, DPT, FAPTA. At this point, I don't think that the phrase "having a heavy heart" will suffice. It certainly doesn’t do justice to the moment either.
There are many of us that are finding today otherworldly. Fellow physical therapist Eric Robertson shared some touching thoughts with the web earlier today. After pondering the meaning of today's events, and trying to make sense of it, I present to you a few words and thoughts: on her presence, and the small piece of her world that, fortunately, intersected mine.
One day. One second. One moment. That is all it takes for your world to change dramatically. When you are in the midst of it, you may not even realize it is happening.
The journey of life is a series of binary decisions - right or left, up or down, black or white - that wind us through time and bring us to the here and now. At any given point in time, we may have a destination based on goals or a 50,000 foot overview of our life. We may have a plan of how we are going to get there. It could consist of today's todo list, a monthly schedule, or a five- or ten-year plan. We have a set of expectations that we think serve as the basis for our future life: career, love, or happiness in general.
Then, the path changes. We hit an inflection point. Life happens.
Smart Physio
posts are on professional and career-related topics such as health, fitness, training, and health care.
Rhubarb Diaries
posts are commentary, perspectives, opinions, humor and insight on all of my favorite topics: music, sport, and politics/current events.
Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".
Allan Besselink, PT, Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sport and health care, one that has been defined by his experiences as physiotherapist, mentor, McKenzie practitioner, coach, innovator, author, educator, patient, and athlete. Read more about Allan, contact him, get updates via email, or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Up to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.
"Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the recently released third edition of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: An Evidence-Based Approach
" by S. Brent Brotzman, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.
