Myths and Facts

Blood In Stool #BloodInStool should never be considered as normal. It may be seen in the form of small stain on stool or on tissue paper, in the commode after passage of stool, drops along with stool or an intermittent/continuous stream. In some cases, the stool may also appear to be tarry black or dark red color. It’s can be sign of a disease ranging from a small trivial #fissure or a #hemorrhoid to Colon #Cancer or #IBD (#Crohns Disease / #Ulcerative Colitis). Any of the following associated complaints should raise an alarm & such bleeding be taken very seriously, with a need for detailed investigations to rule out any life-threatening condition. 1. Large quantity of blood loss or frequent passage of blood – anything that you feel is abnormal. 2. Abdominal Pain 3. Fever 4. Weight loss & Lack of Appetite 5. Abdominal Distension 6. Alternate diarrhea & constipation / a change in “your routine” bowel habit. 7. Bleeding from any other sites 8. Jaundice A detailed discussion with your Surgeon should include mention of all medicines that one might be taking, habits, travel history & any other information one might feel relevant to share.Not every patient needs extensive tests, a detailed history & initial examination can give a certain idea about the problem. Your Surgeon may further advice relevant tests which may include a. Complete Clinical Examination including #Anoproctoscopy b. #Stool Examination c. Blood Tests: Complete Hemogram, Coagulation Profile, Liver Function Tests, CRP, Tumor Markers, etc d. #Sigmoidoscopy / #Colonoscopy e. Ultrasound / CT Scan of Abdomen Although vast majority of Blood in stool do turn out to be due to benign ano-rectal (#Fissure, #Hemorrhoids, #Fistulae) or Colonic causes (#Polyp, #Diverticulosis, #Colitis etc) conditions but it is best evaluated and then treated accordingly. Blood In Stool If you have any of the above symptoms, or have been diagnosed with any of the above conditions or have been advised Surgery, kindly get yourself evaluated by Dr Vishal Soni in OPD or visit our Emergency Services @ Zydus Hospitals, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Tele-Consultation & Tele-Medicine. The current #Covid19 pandemic has necessitated restriction in movements, preventing easy interactions between doctors & patients. However, availability of communication modalities & technological adoptions by the Healthcare professionals have opened doors to allow continued communications & #healthcare using #Tele-medicine. Tele-medicine is a 2-way interface using conventional (Tele-phone) and modern (Internet-based) channels including Audio, Image & Video. Although it won’t replace the physical interaction, but it does come close to the real-world experience. Important points to be remembered while getting a Tele-consultation 1. Connect with your regular/known doctor. 2. Not for Emergencies, call an ambulance for that. 3. Usual duration is 15mins, gracefully accept the time-bound interaction. 4. Keep a list of questions, concerns & queries ready, preferably written on a paper. 5. Ask clear & short questions. 6. Send previous reports well in advance. 7. Expect Blood tests, Radiological investigations, get them done at the network suggested by the doctor, as that would ease the flow of information. 8. Accept a follow up interaction to close the case. 9. If symptoms worsen/ don’t improve as planned, do see a Doctor in person. 10. Online consultations are a guide to further steps rather than a modality to reach definitive diagnosis in one go. For scheduling a Tele-Consultation kindly visit the Home Page.

Empathy The field of medicine deals with pain, suffering, losses & death at each stage. It won’t be an over statement to say that Empathy comes across as a very powerful emotion & a very strong virtue to be a #SuperDoctor. #Empathy is an experience of emotional resonance where the observer identifies and transiently experiences the subject’s emotional state. However, being empathetic not only means understanding patients’ experiences, concerns and perspectives, but also, being able to #communicate the same your patients. In simpler words its “I get how you feel” or that “We are with you!” It goes without saying that physicians cannot fully experience the suffering of each patient. However, the point is that empathy is more of an intellectual rather than emotional form of knowing. The implication of which is, it can be learnt! And in the process of being learning how to be empathic, Doctors end up actually being empathic. The function of empathy isn’t merely to label an emotional state, but to recognize what it feels like to experience something. That is why empathy is needed even when it is quite obvious what emotion label applies to a patient. Physicians who allow their patients to move them enrich their own experience of doctoring. As the goal of medicine is to alleviate suffering and not simply cure disease – empathy becomes a necessary clinical skill to treat the patient holistically!    Beyond the obvious benefits of a healthy Doctor-Patient Relationship, we see empathy playing a major determinant role with fringe benefits – Patients who are empathised with, tend to like their physicians & are more likely to be compliant with their treatment plan translating into better #health outcomes. – After acceptance of #insurance plan, bedside manner/empathy is the top factor adults consider while selecting a physician for themselves or a loved one. – Empathetic Surgeons are likely to not get litigation in face of adverse events. – Doctors who are more attuned to the psycho-social needs of their patients are less likely to experience #burnout – Empathy is used by Quacks to convince their patients of good intentions & thus as a trust building measure Lastly, the physician must perform a difficult internal balancing act: by becoming too emotionally involved with the patient, one may lose objectivity; by not becoming involved enough, one may be unable to relate as a human being.

Tele Medicine: Creating the Uber of Healthcare! Covid 19 pandemic induced cessation of routine life and services has affected everyone. The healthcare industry has been affected in a little weird way though, on one hand the pandemic is keeping Doctors super busy, with overwhelmed hospitals and on other hand the non-covid treating Doctor fraternity is idle. The readiness of doctors, availability of snappy internet, acceptance of online interactions and the currently idling healthcare system has fuelled an exponential rise in online platforms for easy connect with Doctors, especially in India. The platforms provide video, audio and text-based opinions and consultations by Doctors for a fee. It has grown into a race to become the Facebook-of-Healthcare, considering this is a multi-level revenue generating venture across the services – Laboratory Services, Radiology Services, Pharmacy, Nursing and Care-taker Services etc. All disruptive changes started with a beautiful intention at the outset – Facebook was supposed to be an interface for college students to interact and Amazon had intentions to just sell books. We know what these ventures have shaped up today. Telemedicine has been touted to help people in remote area, tide over the difficult times of social distancing and prevent crowding in hospitals. Give it few years and we’ll see what this grows into. Doctors and Patients are both venturing into an unknown and potentially dangerous territory. There are some uncomfortable truths deserving attention here. Issues are expected after the novelty factor fades and Tele-Medicine assumes a routine role. A privilege turning into service-on-demand kind of transformation – something we have started to witness. A Doctor search would match a product and service search, with rates and ratings being used to differentiate. Further when the convenience-addiction takes over, the decisions would narrow down to charges and availability. The available and cheaper option getting consumed higher and faster! Lack of in-person interaction and talking to screens may translate to over/complete reliance on Laboratory and Radiological Investigations – the only available and safe objective cues to rely on. Medical data have consistently shown that a good clinical examination and history can match and even augment results from investigations. However, the business-school trained health care industry leaders care less and are busy in capacity augmentation for “testing services” making the “human” component cheaper, at times free and almost frivolous. An addition to the worry is reduction of Medical Consultation to a Service A Doctor to a Provider! It’s pushing a serious Healthcare business to go the Shopping way – a traffic/herd like behaviour, algorithm dependant, SEO motivated and IT driven! Online interactions tend to be fluid and less dense. Internet has rarely succeeded in generating lasting bonds, even basic ones like friendship! A strong and a lasting Doctor-Patient relationship involves patience and time to develop. Online interactions fuel impatience and lack of faith with a tendency to Doctor Shop-Hop!