Measuring Success
How do you measure the success of a new medication, of a medical procedure, a new self-help skill? Well in order to measure success, you need to define it. In terms of healing, I would consider any signs of improvement as a sign of success. If you are able to move a joint more than you could before therapy, then I would consider that success.
When creating your definition of success, it is important to understand that success is not an all or nothing concept. There are varying degrees of success. If a medication decreases your pain from an 8 down to a 4 then I would consider that success. Now just because a person may have reached that level 4 in pain relief, they may not be considering their success complete and that is ok. There is at least some improvement and therefore - some success.
When going for a procedure or starting a new medication regimen, it is important to keep your definition of success flexible. You may be taking a new drug that requires a trial period in order to build a blood level before a full effect of that medication may be realized. It is important not to label that medication a failure because the wanted effect may not have been realized yet. You may receive an epidural steroid injection and you may continue to have some symptoms for a week or so. That doesn’t herald that procedure a failure by any means.
When you seek to determine the effectiveness of a procedure, ask yourself a few questions.
Related Topics:
Technorati Tags: arthritis, pain, pain management
When creating your definition of success, it is important to understand that success is not an all or nothing concept. There are varying degrees of success. If a medication decreases your pain from an 8 down to a 4 then I would consider that success. Now just because a person may have reached that level 4 in pain relief, they may not be considering their success complete and that is ok. There is at least some improvement and therefore - some success.
When going for a procedure or starting a new medication regimen, it is important to keep your definition of success flexible. You may be taking a new drug that requires a trial period in order to build a blood level before a full effect of that medication may be realized. It is important not to label that medication a failure because the wanted effect may not have been realized yet. You may receive an epidural steroid injection and you may continue to have some symptoms for a week or so. That doesn’t herald that procedure a failure by any means.
When you seek to determine the effectiveness of a procedure, ask yourself a few questions.
- Have my pain levels decreased?
- Have my other symptoms decreased?
- Have I needed/used as much medication for symptom relief since the procedure?
- Has my level of functioning improved?
- Am I resting/sleeping better?
Related Topics:
Technorati Tags: arthritis, pain, pain management
1 Comments:
Dear Ms. Cooper-Guzman:
I enjoy reading your blogs. As a physiatrist I am also appreciative of your mentioning consultation with a physiatrist for exercise and arthritis!
- Concerning measuring success for a new medical procedure, top on the patients' lists will be to regain function with increase in quality-of-life in addition to pain relief.
- Your readership will be interested to know how other patients in pain rate their measurement of success of therapy as well as exercise suggestions for those who have chronic pain.
- May I request of the pleasure of visit to my blog?www.stopmusclepain.com is a health education and medical technology innovation blog for the prevention and management of nerve related muscle pain and discomfort. Serial quality-of-life movies on chronic pain patients managed long-term with highly specialized, innovative motor point stimulation using eToims Twitch Relief Method are updated weekly.
Jennifer Chu, M.D.
www.stopmusclepain.com
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