Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

33 PATIENT EXPERIENCE 72% of men would choose chores over a physician visit By Gabrielle Masson M ost men would choose to do household chores rather than visit their physician's office for a check-up, according to a survey from Cleveland Clinic. For the survey, researchers polled a nationally represen- tative group of 1,174 adult males between April 9 and April 11. The survey was part of Cleveland Clinic's fourth annual education campaign,"MENtion It," which seeks to address the barriers keeping men from acknowledg- ing their health issues or engaging in preventive care. Four survey findings: 1. Seventy-two percent of men surveyed said they would rather do household chores than visit their physician. 2. Half of men said that they consider their annual check- up a regular part of taking care of themselves. 3. Sixty-one percent of men said they would be more likely to go to their annual check-up if it was more convenient. 4. Even when men do visit their physician, 20 percent say they are not completely honest about their health. The top reason for withholding information from physi- cians was embarrassment (46 percent). "It's time to get rid of the stigma that a man isn't al- lowed to show weakness by admitting something might be wrong — it could save his life," Eric Klein, MD, chair- man of Cleveland Clinic's Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute, said in a news release. n Viewpoint: Physician, patient well-being are tightly linked By Anne-Marie Kommers P hysician burnout can contribute to patients' own burnout as they navigate their care, wrote Aisling Carroll, an ovarian can- cer survivor and freelance writer, in an op-ed for STAT. Ms. Carroll experienced poor health even aer her cancer was gone. She wrote her diagnoses and treatments could have been made earlier if her physicians had been less burned out. Many of Ms. Carroll's physicians had more patients and paperwork than they could handle, she wrote. Ms. Carroll was forced to change physicians many times and wrote, "My doctors' possible burnout, which contributes to physician turn- over, was causing my own." Ms. Carroll had better results when physicians had the time and energy to closely examine her case without the distraction of screens. She also learned that physicians had more time during the day's last appointment, which made her feel guilty for taking up more of their time aer an exhausting day. "Let's recognize the depth to which physician well-being and patient well-being are inextricably linked," Ms. Carroll wrote. n Seniors with chronic diseases embrace ride-hailing to access care By Anuja Vaidya B etter access to ride-hailing services will prompt most senior patients with chronic diseases to use them to attend medical appointments, according to a study published in the Journal of mHealth. Researchers from the USC Center for Body Computing at the Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles screened 150 patients over the age of 60 with chronic diseases. For these patients, access to transportation was a factor in missed appointments, and more than 45 percent relied on others for transportation. For the study, the patients were offered free rides to both medical and nonmedical destinations for three months. They also were given personalized training in using a ride-hailing app. Each patient also was given a daily activity tracker. Ninety-three percent of the patients used the Lyft rides to access medical care. Researchers also found that 31 percent of all rides were used for medical appointments, and the remaining rides were used to get to fitness, social and leisure activities. Ninety-two percent of study participants reported that this improved their perceived quality of life. n Why this Iowa hospital celebrated Christmas in July By Mackenzie Bean S anta Claus made a special visit to St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on July 25, reported ABC affiliate KCRG. e visit was part of the pediatric unit's second annual "Christmas in July" celebration. About 50 patients and their siblings visited with Santa and received presents donated by community members. "It really means a lot to the kids," Cindy Peiffer, RN, a nurse at St. Luke's pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, told KCRG. "When they're admitted, they're sick. ey don't feel well. If a nurse brings in a gi, it helps. It just kind of helps ease the anxiety and the stress." n

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