Moving Beyond the Doctor's Perspective of the Patient's Perspective

I am very excited to share that an editorial I’ve co-authored has just been published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine: “Moving Beyond the Doctor’s Perspective of the Patient’s Perspective”. Along with Dr. Arnav Agarwal and Dr. Ariel Lefkowitz, this paper explores the ways in which physicians frequently fall short in including patients’ perspectives in medical care and what we can do to better elevate patients’ voices.

The three of us have been collaboratively working on this article for several years now. It is quite uncommon for someone like myself to be included in the research process for a major medical journal and for my personal struggles with our health care system to be highlighted in this way.

To say I am grateful for this achievement would be an understatement. I am particularly grateful to my dear friend and colleague, Ariel, for valuing my perspective and showing me what it means to be a person of integrity. It is one thing for a doctor to declare that she or he is dedicated to patient-centred care. It is a completely different thing for that person to truly listen and allow a patient’s voice to be elevated.

We are all patients and we are all healers. Privilege does not only exist along racial or gender lines. When we are in the role of a patient, oftentimes our voices feel silenced and our power revoked. It can be a terrifying and traumatic thing; I know it was for me. Healing comes when we find the others like ourselves, fighting for a better world.

All of our stories matter. Keep sharing yours and know that you are not alone.

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Resilience and Self-Advocacy for Patients with Chronic Illness

This is a presentation I gave at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto at an educational event which provides peer support for individuals with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

I speak about the emotional dimensions of chronic illness, and IBD in particular, which are often overlooked when medical care is considered and can greatly interfere with our inner resilience. After delving into the psychological issues often faced by patients, I provide tools and techniques to increase resilience in the face of these obstacles. I then go on to give some tips that have helped me advocate for myself and other patients within the healthcare system.

What Every Patient Needs to Know ~ The Emotional Impact of Chronic Illness

A panel discussion with myself and fellow chronic illness advocates Rasheed Clarke and Jenna Rines.

In this clip I answer the following questions:

- Were mental health challenges something that you dealt with before you were diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, or did they come with the onset of your symptoms?

- When did you notice that your mental health was taking a hit?

In this clip, Rasheed, Jenna and I discuss what can be done when someone with a mental health issue is not being taken seriously by the healthcare system and the importance of patient self-advocacy.

In this clip, Rasheed, Jenna and I discuss the mind body connection and how it relates to living with inflammatory bowel disease. We speak about the difficulty of separating the emotional and physical impacts of chronic illness, barriers in communication with medical professionals and how to practice self care in the midst of the 'vicious cycle' of illness.

In this clip, Rasheed, Jenna and I discuss the immense difficulties chronic and mental health patients face when trying to speak out about their experiences. We talk about how stigma, shame, guilt and isolation keeps patients silent. We then discuss how caregivers and medical professionals can best support us, and the importance of active listening.

In this clip, Rasheed, Jenna and I discuss the best ways for caregivers and medical professionals to lend support to those suffering from chronic and mental health challenges, the benefits of active listening skills and the value of patient advocates. We also speak about the overlooked vital role of the caregiver, and why it is so important for caregivers to seek support.