Aplastic Anemia

Patient Centered Medical Home

Patient-centered care has become a central goal within the healthcare industry. Physicians are continuously working together with their patients in enhancing their relationship in order to make sure their patients are not only heard, but also feel comfortable with the care they are receiving. An example of an initiative that is meeting this criteria involves the emergence of Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH).

Health Related Quality of Life and Well-Being

Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multi-dimensional concept that includes physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning. It goes beyond direct measures of health such as life expectancy, and causes of death; and focuses on the impact health status has on quality of life.  It is important to understand how this relates to “well-being”, which assesses the positive aspects of a person’s life, such as positive emotions and life satisfaction.

Why Research is Important: Understanding Research Articles Part II

In the last edition, “Understanding Research Articles Part I” explained the sections commonly found in research articles and explained further that reading a scientific paper is very different from reading an article in a newspaper or blog. The second part of this article provides you with tips to help you better understand how to read research articles. 

Here are a few suggestions for how to read/ the order to read a research article: 

The Transplantation Procedure

What medical tests and exams happen before a stem cell transplant?

Your doctors will want to make sure you're healthy enough to have a stem cell transplant. They also will want to find out whether you have any medical problems that could cause complications after the transplant. You may have:

Blood Tests

Before a stem cell transplant, you might have blood tests to check for HIV, herpes, pregnancy, and other conditions. These tests help your doctors learn about your overall health.

Chest X-Ray and Lung Function Tests

Biting into the Elephant

I believe that a story is the shortest distance between two people. While this is my story, it is not just mine, and I did not do any of this alone. In April 1983, my husband Joe and I were 25 years old and attending to the required pre-marital blood work. Next thing we knew, we were sitting in a doctor’s office because my blood counts were abnormally low. They told us there was something wrong, but they didn’t know what it was.

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