A third party in the relationship

The New York Times Well blog raises an interesting question about the relationship between a physician and a patient: Do physicians need a chaperon when performing invasive procedures?

The presence of a chaperon during invasive procedures is intended to protect both the physician and the patient. But It raises a question of how this could potentially impact the relationship. If either or both the physician and patient feel a chaperon is necessary, does that imply something about the level of trust in the relationship? Or does the presence of a chaperon simply indicate caution and not a lack of trust?

How do you think this would affect physician-patient communication? Will the communication somehow be different if both the doctor and the patient know that a third party has to come in and watch the procedure? How should physicians and patients discuss the issue of chaperons?

A new face of AIDS activism

On the eve of World AIDS day, The New York Times has an article about the changing face of AIDS activism. Where advocacy was once dominated by those affected by the disease, specifically the gay community, now a growing voice of activism is found public health students. The student protesters are armed with knowledge and research about disease rates and what could and should be done to fight AIDS. And many of these students are using political protests to be heard, even protesting against a president they worked to get elected.

What do you think of this shift in activism? What role should political protest play in bringing attention to public health issues?

Communicating about religion in the hospital

An article in The New York Times Health section featured an article today about an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics, considering Muslim religious beliefs and how those beliefs may impact the delivery of health care. Muslims differ in adherence, but maintaining modesty is an overriding ethic, and may even cause some to delay care if they cannot get in to see a physician of the same gender.

While it may not always be possible to accommodate all religious requests, respect and communication can go a long way to facilitate trust between the physician and patient. It starts by the physician simply asking, either in person or in an intake form, what their religious concerns are and what can be done to make them more comfortable. Those conversations can be a good starting point for discussing what can be accommodated and what is necessary. A conversation, rather than a directive, will help the patient feel heard and cared for.

Is candy evil or misunderstood?

The New York Times Health section featured the Candy Professor, Samira Kawash, a writer and professor who researches the history of candy, and how it is sometimes vilified. The Candy Professor contends that candy has always been honest about what it is: a processed food, a treat, something for pleasure not for nutrition. But some people have a knee-jerk reaction against eating candy, or feeding their children candy, despite reaching for foods such as fruit juices and granola bars that have just as much sugar. Candy is seen as something forbidden, while those granola bars have a veil of nutrition.

It is an interesting look at how we make decisions about food, perhaps not always rational ones. It is also about communication and the messages we hear about candy and how that influences the decisions we make.

What do you think?

If the result is the one you want, does it matter how you get there?

The New York Times Parenting blog points to an interesting new public service announcement running in New York. The PSA encourages moms to breastfeed. But the enticement is not the health benefits for the baby. The enticement to breastfeed is that many women who breastfeed lose weight.

So the question is whether it is appropriate to entice an audience to engage in a behavior for vanity? It's not unheard of. Anti-smoking campaigns have used the approach. And breastfeeding campaigns might also mention other reasons for breastfeeding that have nothing to do with the baby's health: such as monetary savings. If a health campaign is successful in getting an audience to engage in a health behavior, does the why matter?

Pink fatigue

The New York Times Well blog had an article today about the growing number of voices expressing "pink fatigue." October is breast cancer awareness month and pink is everywhere. but some fear that the emphasis on marketing and cutesy products misses the point. Others feels the money could be better spent on actual breast cancer research rather than "awareness."

I can appreciate that this can be a difficult balance to find. You do want to raise awareness of the disease, especially since early detection can be helpful in treatment. Creative fundraising can bring in a lot of money. And it's nice for people to feel like they are doing something, even if it is just saving yogurt lids. But are we missing the point? At least one group is suggesting we need more than pink, we need a deadline. The National Breast Cancer Coalition has taken the pink gloves off and set a deadline to find a cure: January 1, 2020.

Despite the frustration, it appears the sea of pink is here for now. But let's continue to highlight research efforts as much as we highlight baseball players with pink bats.

How we talk about food

Two stories from the last week have highlighted the complexities regarding communication about food. The Corn Refiners Association is looking a new word for high-fructose corn syrup, preferring the name corn sugar. But there are a lot of skeptics about the reason for the rebranding, as seen in the comments in the New York Times Health blog. While the Corn Refiners Association says they are looking for a more accurate name, some health advocates think the move is an effort to confuse consumers into thinking corn syrup is healthy.

The other story is about carrots. The baby carrot association is spending $25 million on a new advertising campaign to market the bite-sized carrots as a fun snack, even as fun as junk food. But it seems no matter how much health advocates push vegetables, it seems we are not eating them.

So why is communication about food so difficult? What strategies would you suggest to communicate about healthy food?