Who Is Doctor Balloon? 
Dr. Gerard has used balloons as a visual aid for explaining procedures to patients, students, residents, nurses, technicians, therapists and fellow physicians for many years. Patients complain that they do not understand what their doctors are telling them, and therefore do not understand their procedures and treatments. The goal of teaching with balloons is to enhance an individuals understanding of medicine and surgery, for both old and young individuals. The goal is to turn a frown into a smile, to make the patient more relaxed and comfortable during times of stress. The balloons are simple to carry in a white lab coat and cheaper than the more expensive models in the doctors office, which are often complex and intimidating. And everybody relates to a balloons.
Dr. Gerard started out learning how to twist balloons into different shapes and designs mainly for entertainment purposes. When he entered medical school, he learned how to create the entire human body out of balloons, all the anatomic structures in detail. He used red balloons for arteries and blue balloons for veins, and modeled other balloons into the shapes of the organs in the human body. After creating the anatomy, he then learned to create all the different diseases and pathologic conditions in the human body, which includes his famous "balloon in a balloon" for demonstrating blood clots. He uses this model to teach radiology residents the concept of ultrasound evaluation of blood clots in the legs. Following the creation of the diseases, he then learned to create the surgical procedures of the different diseases, all with balloons. And finally, he shows how all the new diagnostic modalities are used, including current up to date treatments and disease prevention, all with balloons. He states " there is no disease or treatment I cannot show a patient using balloons". And finally, he teaches others individuals how to model the balloons to show their patients. This is how he received the name " Doctor Balloon ".
Dr. Gerard's mission is to help children, adults, family members and the general public with understanding illness, treatment, and the overall health experience. Equipped with knowledge of medical conditions, patients are able to participate in the management of their diseases, reducing unnecessary physician and emergency room visits.
It is known that patients who understand their medical conditions will have a more rapid recovery. And the balloons can be used to demonstrate any medical or surgical specialty. The imagination is the only limitation.
Patients with poor health literacy skills also struggle to understand basic medical instructions and forms. In addition, poor compliance with understanding medical care regimens can be dangerous. It is up to the health care system to be sure that patients understand the information that they receive well enough to apply it. Few doctors enjoy the often tedious and repetitious nature of patient education, but most offices like the effect of patient education: better patient follow-through, more kept appointments, more referrals and even better clinical results.
The balloons may also be of help in explaining a procedure for informed consent, to ensure that patients understand what they are hearing. The explanation with balloons also allow patients to become better listeners and to ask questions of their physicians with a better understanding and with more detailed information. Effective communication and patient education enhances patient satisfaction and health outcomes. On the other hand, poor communication often leads to patient dissatisfaction. The combination of a bad outcome and patient unhappiness is a recipe for litigation. When the quality of information a patient receives improves, awareness of treatment goals increase with higher levels of patient satisfaction and may reduce malpractice claims. In addition, providing patients with better knowledge of their conditions with proper education allows them to make more informed choices.The Food and Drug Administration, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the National Committee for Quality Assurance all require that health care institutions be able to document evidence of a
patients understanding of the medical information provided to them. (1).Brandes W, Furnas S, and McClellan F. Literacy, Health, and the Law: An Exploration of the Law and the Plight of Marginal Readers within the Health Care System: Advocating for Patients and Providers. Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Inc., 1996. (2). Farley D. Label Literacy for OTC Drugs. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1997. (3). “Patient and Family Education.” Accreditation Manual for Hospitals. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, 1996.
Dr. Gerard is available for classes for adults and children on a wide variety of medical and surgical conditions, for family members and the general public and all are welcome. If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Gerard's balloon demonstrations, or a seminar at your institution to teach you how to use balloons as a teaching tool, please contact him at his web address: docnucs@yahoo.com
Here is a list of some of Dr. Gerards Balloon Teachings: 1. CNBC Television: Balloon demonstration of Eye Pneumatic Retinopexy 1995. 2. WCBS Televsion: Demo of Retinal Detachment with treatments using balloons. 3. Daily News: Biography 1995 4. Balloons and your Heart: Heart to Heart Lecture Series, Maimonides Hospital. 5. WNBC Television: Teaching Kids about their surgical procedure with balloons 1995. 6. Brooklyn Daily Bulletin Newspaper 1995. 7. Brooklyn Skyline 1995. 8. WABC Televsion: Teaching children about their surgical procedure 1995. 9. Fort Hamilton Senior Center, NY: Balloons and your heart 1996. 10. New York Biology Teachers Association Lecture at Bishop Ford High School: Teaching students biology using balloons in the classroom 1996. 11. Nassau Herald: MD uses balloons as teaching tool, 1996. 12. Winthrop Medical Center, NY: Mended hearts lecture on cardiac disease with balloons 1996. 13. Health Carreers Exploration Program at Coney Island Hospital: Balloons and your Health 1996. 14. Ogden Elementery School, Long Island NY: Teaching elementery students about how your body works using balloons, 1996. 15. The Jewish Weekly Newspaper: An Air of Comfort 1996. 16. The Brooklyn Spectator Newspaper 1996. 17. The Home Reporter Newspaper 1996. 18. Newsday Newspaper: Doc Uses Balloons to Deflate Patient Fears 1997. 19 St John's Law School, Advanced Trial Advocacy Final, used balloons for teaching students, 1997. 20. Medical Grand Rounds, Maimonides Medical Center, Balloon demonstration of the clinical concepts of nuclear medicine 1997. 21.NY Biology Teachers Association at Bishop Ford: Balloons in teaching high school students the life sciences 1998. 22. Touro College Physicians Assistant Program: Value of balloons in teaching Diagnostic Radiology 1998. 23. Pilgraum Westland Church: Teaching 125 children about visits to the doctors office using balloons 1998. 24. Radio Interview at Maimonides Medical Center: Maimonides Experts: Discussed balloons in medicine 1998. 25. During a Visit from JCHAO, they were extemely interested in the use of balloons in educating patients on their diseases and treatments. 26. Maimonides Medical Grand Rounds 2000: I gave my famous lecture, Give me 15 minutes and a balloon and I will teach you nuclear cardiology, 2000. 27. Maimonides Heart to Heart Group: Teaching patients about strokes and their treatments and prevention using balloons 2001. 28. Channel 5: Everyday people, teaching children about treatments used for lymphomas using balloons 2003. 29. Jacob Javits Center NY, at the Jewish Expo 2000, Discussed balloons and diseases to many of the 50,000 individual that attended this function. And many, many more lectures will be named upon request.
The following are links to News Videos from Dr. Perry Gerard:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=YK-45Qe4ApE
Video Link to Channel 5 News Video with Dr. Gerard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAn8BtO4lLw
Video Link to Channel 4 News Video with Dr. Gerard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMiAAmpG9ZI
Dr. Gerard appears on Channel 7 New York with Nancy Loo
Dr. Gerard appears on Channel 4 New York with Matt Lauer
Dr. Gerard discusses Creative Medical Teaching
Dr. Gerard lectures a group of patients on heart disease and strokes, demonstrating carotid artery disease and shows the circle of Willis and how strokes occur with balloons.
Dr. Gerard teaches a young patient about kidney and ureter obstruction and demonstrates the surgery to correct his congenital problem
