Latest news with #outpatient
WebMD
15 hours ago
- Health
- WebMD
My Relationship With Medication
Medications are a must for most people with bipolar disorder, but my relationship with them hasn't been an easy one. While drugs designed to treat bipolar disorder can be very helpful, they also come with real risks, as do all medications. Anxiety about these risks has caused me to reject treatment at times. Here's what the journey has been like. Refusal I wouldn't take medication when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I didn't think I had a mental health disorder, so I simply refused to be treated for one. Unfortunately, this led to a significant decline in my functioning. Frustration Eventually, I very reluctantly agreed to take medication. I was put on a long-acting injectable (LAI). Serious side effects sent me to the emergency room. I had to wait for the drug to leave my system. I felt frustrated and helpless. I later saw a new outpatient psychiatrist. He suggested the same class of medication as the LAI, an antipsychotic, but in the form of a daily pill. I told him I didn't want to take it because I was worried about side effects. But he insisted the side effects wouldn't be as severe. Despite his reassurance, I didn't feel comfortable. I threw the pills in the garbage, but I didn't tell him that. It wasn't too long before I had a hypomanic episode. Recognizing the symptoms, I admitted to my psychiatrist that I hadn't been taking the medication he'd prescribed. He recommended starting immediately. Otherwise, I was headed for a manic episode and most likely hospitalization. I didn't want that to happen, so I took the medication. I had side effects, but I continued, driven by the fear of another manic episode and ending up in the hospital. Despite taking the medications exactly as prescribed, I eventually had another manic episode and was admitted to the hospital. Doctors there changed my treatment plan because of the side effects and the fact that the meds didn't seem to be working. That's when I started lithium. I had clients on this medication when I was a therapist, so I knew that it was an old-school medication reserved for more serious cases. But I felt pretty resigned, so I agreed to take it. Lithium requires close monitoring due to the potential for toxicity and serious side effects. As time went on, I became quite concerned about this and stopped taking it against my new psychiatrist's advice. I quickly ended up back in the hospital. Now? I take all my medications reliably. Acceptance My journey with medication has been deeply emotional, marked by anxiety and refusal. But over time, I've learned that medications are necessary for stability for me. I'm still concerned about the long-term effects of lithium. But I've been stable on it and an antipsychotic for some time. My blood is tested regularly to ensure lithium isn't at toxic levels or damaging my organs. I'm anxious about the results each time I get lab work done. Fortunately, I haven't had any issues. I hope to continue taking it for as long as I can.
Medscape
16-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Pneumonia 101: When to Admit and When to Treat Outpatient
This transcript has been edited for clarity. Pneumonias are very commonly encountered diagnoses and something that we see in many patients, whether it is in the outpatient field, in urgent care, or in a hospital. We treat these patients generally based off symptoms, whether they're acute, mild, moderate, or chronic, important for us to check out what type of organism is growing within their sputum. This can help guide us in terms of therapies. We can use different scores, like the pneumonia severity index or the CURB-65, to guide us as to whether a patient needs to be hospitalized or we feel we need to escalate care from oral to [intravenous] antibiotics. Sometimes these patients require hospitalization in the ICU with mechanical ventilation to give them a chance to recover, their lungs to function better, and to help with the mucus and sputum that they are feeling. It's important to remember prevention strategies for our patients, as some of our patients are chronically sick and can get worse with pneumonia. Aspiration precautions are very important. Also, it is important for patients to get vaccinations, such as pneumococcal, [ respiratory syncytial virus], flu, and COVID-19, for which they are indicated. Making sure to counsel our patients on vaccinations can be important and life changing.
CBC
15-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
From Costco to clinics: New health-care centre opening in east end of St. John's this fall
A new health-care facility will open in the former Costco building in St. John's in October, offering urgent care and outpatient appointments. People may know it as the former Costco building, but "it looks nothing like that now," Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell told reporters during a tour of the site on Tuesday. Howell said the new urgent- and ambulatory-care centre at 28 Stavanger Drive is opening in phases this fall and is expected to shorten hospital wait times. The urgent care centre will treat people with non-life threatening injuries and illnesses — such as minor sprains and strains. It's meant to relieve pressure on emergency rooms, said Howell, so ERs can focus on "true emergencies." Several outpatient services are also opening at the ambulatory-care centre in October, relocating from the Health Sciences Centre and St. Clare's Mercy Hospital. These include several specialist clinics and two X-ray machines, orthopedics, audiology, and appointment scheduling and registration, said a Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services statement. More services are scheduled to move to the site in December, including physiotherapy, blood collection, occupational therapy, surgery preadmission clinic, pain clinic, ultrasound and an additional X-ray machine. MRI services are set to open in 2026. There will be an information campaign in the fall to let people know where they should go for different health issues, said Greg Browne, a vascular surgeon and the clinical lead for healthcare infrastructure. Once you're inside the building, Howell said clear signs will make it easier for people to know where their appointments are. "I think as patients we're going to really see the benefits of this once we start using it," said Dorothy Senior, a patient advisor who sits on committees for the health authority. She listed the benefits of having access to all clinics in one area, colour coding, and having comfortable places to sit. In its statement, the health authority said the hub will have free parking for patients and staff, as well as an outdoor space. A pharmacy and Jumping Bean coffee shop are set to open there next year, and there are plans underway for a daycare provider. The project is coming in on budget, said Kimberley Pike, clinical planner with Provincial Capital Planning. The province is renting the old Costco site, which hasn't been used since 2019. "Clinic appointments and ambulatory appointments really don't need to happen in an acute care hospital, with all the hustle and bustle and the stress that people go through by going into a hospital environment," said Pike. In its statement, the health authority said some outpatient services will still remain at the hospitals. Ear, nose and throat clinics, as well as rheumatology, will also stay at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital.
Associated Press
04-07-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Frank's Team Shows They Care During His Time of Need
Frank's teammates really stepped up during his time of need and showed they genuinely care about him. That's the DaVita Difference. About DaVita (NYSE: DVA) is a health care provider focused on transforming care delivery to improve quality of life for patients globally. As a comprehensive kidney care provider, DaVita has been a leader in clinical quality and innovation for 25 years. DaVita cares for patients at every stage and setting along their kidney health journey—from slowing the progression of kidney disease to helping to support transplantation, from acute hospital care to dialysis at home. As of March 31, 2025, DaVita served approximately 282,000 patients at 3,173 outpatient dialysis centers, of which 2,661 centers were located in the United States and 512 centers were located in 13 other countries worldwide. DaVita has reduced hospitalizations, improved mortality, helped improve health access and worked collaboratively to propel the kidney care community to adopt a higher quality standard of care for all patients, everywhere. To learn more, visit Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from DaVita
Irish Times
02-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Saturday outpatient appointments at Crumlin hospital surge by 240%
The number of Saturday outpatient appointments at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) Crumlin has increased by more than 240 per cent over the past four years, new figures show. The hospital group said a 'high proportion' of Saturday clinics are funded by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). Concerns have been raised in recent months about overreliance on the fund as well as potential mismanagement of public money. According to data provided to Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane in response to a parliamentary question, there were 419 Saturday outpatient clinics in Crumlin hospital in 2021, rising to 1,426 last year – an increase of 240 per cent. A total of 742 such Saturday appointments were carried out in the first five months of this year. READ MORE By comparison, Temple Street children's hospital in north Dublin conducted 177 Saturday outpatient appointments in 2024. [ NTPF suspends special funding at CHI over controversy Opens in new window ] The figures come following recent controversy at CHI Crumlin after a 2022 internal review, highlighted concerns about the necessity of some weekend clinics for which one consultant had received more than €35,000 in fees. Following the leaking of that report to media, the NTPF temporarily suspended funding for the children's hospital group, while the HSE referred the review to gardaí. Mr Cullinane described the figures as an 'unusually high increase'. 'We have to look at productivity Monday to Friday. We need to look at whether there's a perverse incentive – I'm not saying that's the case here – but this Saturday work has to be done on the basis of contracted hours and not at an increasing cost to the public purse,' he said. In response, a spokesman said additional consultant-led clinics at weekends are 'part of CHI's efforts to improve access and shorten wait times'. 'The NTPF is the main funding source in 2025 for initiatives to increase outpatient activity. A high proportion of Saturday outpatient clinics are NTPF-funded, based on approved initiatives aimed at reducing waiting times,' the spokesman said. In a 33-page report to the Public Accounts Committee, CHI said it had received €8.655 million from the NTPF since 2020 and €28.239 million under the HSE's access to care initiatives to tackle waiting lists. Ahead of CHI appearing before the committee on Thursday, the report submitted to politicians said its board was 'advised that there was engagement with the NTPF by the Children's Health Ireland executive' following the 2022 internal review. However, the report said the NTPF had been engaged in 2021 in relation to compliance with its procedures for waiting list management. As a result of this, the report states the NTPF were 'not specifically engaged with on this specific matter' due to previous audits taking place at the same time as the unpublished report. Concerns have been raised about the reliance of the health system on the NTPF which was set up some 20 years ago to tackle waiting lists through the use of private hospitals or the use of public facilities outside of core working hours – a process called insourcing. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill had requested Bernard Gloster, chief executive of the HSE, to conduct an analysis of the use of NTPF funding. The report is now with the Minister who has called for a move away from paying public staff for out-of-hours clinics. At the Oireachtas health committee on Wednesday, Mr Gloster is expected to say there is now an 'over reliance' on insourcing to supplement core activity. Over a 27-month period, from 2023 until the first quarter of this year, a 'rounded figure' of €100 million has been used on insourcing in acute settings, Mr Gloster will tell politicians.
