Avoid using medical jargon
Recently my friends and I have realised that we are using medical jargon without even noticing. We are medical students and are constantly learning new terms to describe our bodies, diseases, and treatments. We’ve had our head in textbooks for years now. We no longer…
What does ‘self-management’ mean?
The term self-management is a charged term in healthcare. For some patients’ they believe it means “do it yourself”, “you’re on your own” and worse still “we don’t have time for you”. So, no wonder people feel frustrated when self-management is brought into the conversation….
Online services in primary care
Things, as we know it, are changing. We hear time and time again on the news that we don’t have enough GPs. Many are leaving the profession because of stress and an extensive workload. Yet patient demand is still increasing year on year. We need…
Miscommunication- Alison’s Story
Alison’s breast cancer story shows how miscommunication has a long-lasting impact on emotional well-being and perception of care. Here’s Alison’s story and what she wants patients and healthcare professionals to learn from it. Alison’s Story Reflecting on the experience of my breast cancer diagnosis, I…
Preparing for online consultations
The NHS has been preparing to embed online consultations in primary care (GP surgeries) for some time (1). This is because online access helps meet the demands of the population. More people attend GP practices, and yet we have fewer GP’s. But the COVID-19 pandemic…