How to Live Longer with Lung Cancer: 4 Doctor-Backed Tips
If Lung Cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in the Philippines and worldwide, it is because its symptoms—a persistent cough, blood in the phlegm, shortness of breath, unexplained fatigue and weight loss, hoarseness—do not show in its early stages. “The challenge is diagnosing Lung Cancer,” concedes Antonio Ramos, MD, Thoracic and […]
Case 22 : MINOR’S PROXY
Case Study 22 : MINOR’S PROXY Challenges Three weeks before admission, a one-year-old girl experienced abdominal pain with vomiting, loose bowel movements (LBM), jaundice, and a 30% weight loss. Physicians diagnosed her with congenital heart disease (CHD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and mitral regurgitation (MR) since birth. On the sixth hospital day, […]
Case 21 : WITHHOLDING LIFE SUPPORT
Case Study 21 : WITHHOLDING LIFE SUPPORT Challenges Patient is a 56 y/o female admitted because of difficulty of breathing. She was diagnosed with infiltrating Ductal Cell carcinoma for 3 years, and recently, with advanced pulmonary metastasis with a rapidly deteriorating condition. The doctors inform her any major intervention would most probably be of no […]
Case 20 : BENEFICENCE AND NON-MALEFICENCE
Case Study 20 : BENEFICENCE AND NON-MALEFICENCE Challenges A 62-year old female is admitted for the sixth time in the hospital because of difficulty in breathing. She is diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and maintained regularly on anticholinergics and beta-2-agonist nebulizations. Her condition progressively deteriorates. On the fifth hospital day, the patient goes into […]
Case 19 : BURDEN
Case Study 19 : BURDEN Challenges The family of a 23-year old female patient, attached to a respirator for the past three months and in a comatose state, decides whether to discontinue the respirator’s use. They fully understand the patient’s situation, and that ethically speaking (assuming the patient is in fact entering the dying stage), […]
Case 18 : CHAPLAINCY AND HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
Case Study 18 : CHAPLAINCY AND HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS Challenges Due to the demands of her assignments in the department, complicated by some family problems, a health care professional feels a need for support in her personal life. An encouraging colleague and close friend asks her if she tried approaching the Hospital Chaplaincy. She replies […]
Case 17 : CHAPLAINCY AND PATIENTS
Case Study 17 : CHAPLAINCY AND PATIENTS Challenges A 34-year-old male cigarette vendor is admitted with chief complaint of abdominal pain. Preliminary examination reveals a mass in the pelvic area. Patient remains conscious and appears to tolerate the pain relatively well. On the day of admission his sister suggests setting an appointment with the hospital […]
Case 16 : PATIENTS’ CONCERNS
Case Study 16 : PATIENTS’ CONCERNS Challenges A 36-year-old patient was diagnosed with a benign mass in the uterus and was scheduled for partial hysterectomy. Despite doctors’ assurances that similar cases are relatively easy to manage, the patient remains constantly uneasy and cannot sleep at night. Her husband thinks that such a reaction is quite […]
Case 15 : PEER RELATIONS
Case Study 15 : PEER RELATIONS Challenges A healthcare professional discovers a serious error committed by a colleague in the management of a certain patient. At first glance, his options seem to be the following: to keep silent about it, to discuss the matter with his colleague, to discuss the matter with the hospital administration, […]
Case 14 : CONFIDENTIALITY AND MINORS
Case Study 14 : CONFIDENTIALITY AND MINORS Challenges A 14-year-old boy came for treatment of psoriatic lesions mostly over the palm and the soles. Upon further investigation, he was diagnosed to have secondary syphilis; this was confirmed by biopsy and serologic exams. Bothered by this discovery, the dermatologist asked the boy’s mother for permission to […]
Sunscreen 101: A Dermatologist’s Guide to Smart Sun Protection
Want to build strong bones, boost your immune system, and cheer up? Get some sun exposure. Catching rays signals the skin to produce vitamin D, which absorbs calcium that fortifies our bones. Vitamin D can also help prevent the onset of diseases like type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and certain cancers by strengthening our […]
Constant Ear Discharge and Hearing Loss: When to Worry About Cholesteatoma
Imagine a non-cancerous, pearl-like cyst measuring a few millimeters in diameter. Harmless, right? Not when it develops in your middle ear. Left untreated, it can throw your whole body out of whack—and can even lead to serious, irreversible complications. That, in a nutshell, is cholesteatoma, defined as a benign or abnormal growth of skin […]
