Happy New Year, everyone!
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My favorite link this month is the article summarizing Ekman’s research on compassion fatigue in caregivers. Burnout is all too common in health care, and poses real risks to patients. What I liked best about this article was its focus on solutions – the use of empathy training to counteract compassion fatigue. As someone who is passionate about Nonviolent Communication, which is one effective approach to learning empathy, I found the positive results of this study very hopeful.
As an aside, I highly recommend this book for those interested in learning more about NVC: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life, by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg.
As always, I welcome suggestions, comments, or interesting links. Please send to: chelgason@synergenius.biz.
Have a great 2012!
Chanel
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“We are called upon, it often seems, for unreasonable requests at unreasonable times… times we often later judge to be the finest hours of our days.”
– – David Loxtercamp, MD
THIS MONTH’S LINKS
Empathy burnout in caregivers, and how to deal with it:
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/12/06/compassionfatigue/
Wonderful RSAnimate on brain function between hemispheres:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFs9WO2B8uI&feature=player_embedded
Medical education that produces people who are doctors:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/a-medical-school-more-like-hogwarts/?emc=eta1
Gaslighting and the myth of women’s irrational emotions:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yashar-hedayat/a-message-to-women-from-a_1_b_958859.html
Overview of current state of IM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/06/integrating-medical-care/?page=2#article
Use of CAM for physician wellness
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-x-1214-alternative-care-doctors-20111214,0,3626350.story
The real effects of health care reform, starting now:
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/272-39/8753-bomb-buried-in-obamacare-explodes-hallelujah
Things McDonalds knows about your brain:
Art in autism:
http://www.utne.com/Arts-Culture/The-Minds-Eye-Alex-Masket.aspx
Liberia as model for post-conflict public mental health:
http://www.utne.com/Science-Technology/Liberia-Model-for-Better-Mental-Health.aspx
A BIT OF HUMOR
Gotta love Pharma jokes:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/pfizer-breaks-psychological-need-to-always-seek-fd,20298/
