Just stand up for your own truth. Start where you are, do what you can, and use what you have.
My senior once told me: you don't need to please everybody, and you can't anyway. So better to identify the people whose opinion matters to you so that you can aim to please these people instead.
I don't feel any need to correct this image they have of me that is dissonant with the truth. The important thing is that I know who I am and I stand for my truth.
I gave a lecture today on the crucial role of research in improving health outcomes during the successfully concluded Public Health Forum 2024. I gave examples of how research improves health outcomes such as in terms of technology development and new treatments, funding for financial risk protection, health worker welfare, patient-centered care, policy and health systems research.
I asked AI ChatGPT for its opinion on the topic:
Research plays a crucial role in improving health outcomes in several ways:
1. Developing new treatments and therapies: Research helps in the discovery and development of new drugs, medical procedures, and therapies that can improve outcomes for various health conditions.
2. Identifying risk factors and causes of diseases: Through research, scientists can identify the underlying causes and risk factors of diseases, leading to better prevention and management strategies to improve health outcomes.
3. Improving diagnosis and early detection: Research helps in developing new diagnostic tools and techniques that can lead to early detection of diseases, allowing for timely treatment and better outcomes.
4. Enhancing personalized medicine: Research in genomics and personalized medicine allows for tailored treatment plans based on individual genetic makeup, leading to more effective and targeted therapies and improved health outcomes.
5. Informing evidence-based practice: Research provides the foundation for evidence-based practice in healthcare, ensuring that medical decisions and interventions are based on scientific evidence and research findings to improve patient outcomes.
6. Addressing healthcare disparities: Research helps in identifying and addressing healthcare disparities among different populations, leading to interventions and policies that can improve outcomes for marginalized and underserved communities.
7. Promoting preventive measures: Research into preventive medicine and public health interventions can lead to strategies for promoting healthy behaviors, preventing diseases, and ultimately improving overall health outcomes.
8. Informing policy decisions: Research findings can inform healthcare policies and decisions to improve the quality of healthcare delivery, access to care, and overall health outcomes for populations.
Overall, research is essential in advancing medical knowledge, improving healthcare practices, and ultimately leading to better health outcomes for individuals and communities.
During the open forum, the speakers lamented that students and residents engage in research activities merely for compliance. One student asked us, which I would like to extend to our discussion tonight on RESEARCH:
T1. Are there political or administrative roadblocks to applying for research grant funding?
T2. How can research outputs be utilized for evidence-based policies and practices?
T3. How can we make research grants and funding more accessible to interested parties?
See you tonight at 9PM MLA TIME to discuss Funding for Research to improve health outcomes.
Illnesses like HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, tuberculosis and/or leprosy may continue to be stigmatized such that patients remain vulnerable to discrimination. Support groups provide safe spaces to share one's feelings openly and to be accepted with dignity.
Let us talk about how patient support groups help manage mental health problems related to stigmatizing chronic illnesses, tonight on #HealthXPH at 9PM MLA time.
T1. Share your personal experiences with support groups.
T2. How do support groups help manage mental health problems related to illnesses?
T3. What is the role of social media in patient support groups?
There are a lot of things we do for our work that are beyond the scope of our job description. Since we work in health service delivery, we ofteb have to think out of the box to ensure that our patients have access to our services, that processes are convenient for them and that we listen to their feedback for improvement.
