Better Bedside Manners Improve Patient Care, Says Cleveland Clinic Chief Experience Officer

Nurses, aides and doctors need to have an awareness of the impact of bedside manner and patient health, Dr. James Merlino, chief experience officer at the Cleveland Clinic, says. WSJ video:



From the WSJ:

"Cleveland Clinic Chief Executive Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, a heart surgeon by training, says he had an epiphany several years ago at a Harvard Business School seminar, where a young woman raised her hand and told him that despite the clinic's stellar medical reputation, her grandfather had chosen to go elsewhere for surgery because "we heard you don't have empathy."

Things have changed quite a bit now.

"The hospital launched a program known as HEART—for hear the concern, empathize, apologize, respond and thank—that empowers employees to handle patient concerns from the moment they arise. Healing Services team will call a "Code Lavender" for patients or family members under stress who need immediate comfort. Of patients who had pain, 31% reported a significant decrease after a healing service."

References:

A Financial Incentive for Better Bedside Manner - WSJ http://buff.ly/1pCHitL

Study: Protective role of lower body fat is striking, or how pear is better than apple

From Reuters:

People who accumulate fat around the abdomen and stomach are more likely to die of heart disease and other causes than bottom-heavy people.

People with fat in their thighs and backsides may live longer because the fat traps harmful fatty particles and actively secretes helpful compounds.

Fat on the bottom and thighs appears to store excess fatty acids. Pear-shaped people also appear to have lower levels of compounds called inflammatory cytokines.

Leg fat may also be better at producing hormones such as leptin, which are made by fat and affect appetite and metabolism.

References:
Why those fat thighs may help you live longer. Reuters, 2010.
Image source: Williams pear, 1822 printing from the Horticultural Society of London. Wikipedia, public domain.

Better Sleep, Better Learning? Obstructive sleep apnea can reduce a child’s IQ by 10 points

From Science Life Blog at the University of Chicago:

Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, can have long-term, detrimental effects on a child’s cardiovascular and respiratory health. But it can also create neurocognitive effects, such as a reduced ability to learn and retain information.

OSA can reduce a child’s IQ by as many as 10 points, while treatment in children with OSA can improve grades.

References:

Better Sleep, Better Learning? « Science Life Blog « University of Chicago.
http://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2010/02/15/better-sleep-better-learning

Sleep duration is shorter in obese children http://goo.gl/z5JFs
Sleepiness and sleep-disordered breathing may be found in 19-29% of children with positive allergy test (http://goo.gl/AfCWZ).

Can a Midday Nap Make You Smarter? Adults Who Nap for 90-minutes at 2 PM Learn and Perform Better at Tests

According to a new study, if you devote your lunch hour to a nap, you may perform and learn better in the afternoon.

Napping at midday, when the brain's ability to learn may have deteriorated, may clear the brain's memory "storage area" and make room for new information.

In the study, the nap group was given the chance for a 90-minute siesta at 2 p.m.; the no-nap group was asked to stay awake.

People in the group which didn't nap had a 10% reduction in their learning capacity. The people who had a nap improved their ability to learn by 10% (not much).

References:

Can a Mid-Day Nap Make You Smarter? WebMD.

Image source: Sleeping kitten. Wikipedia, Tilman Piesk, public domain.