Some patients like to make most of their healthcare decisions, and others prefer to rely on their doctors to make the big decisions for them. Whichever you prefer, having a conversation with your healthcare team about your concerns and the things that matter most to you is a critical part of making the right decisions for you.
Our healthcare system is changing every day. More demands are placed on patients, because there is increasing pressure on doctors to see more patients and provide more services to each patient.
Tell Your Doctor
So where do you start? How will you know if your doctor is right for you? How will you sort through the endless information available to you? How will you know you are doing the right things for your body, your family, and yourself?
We all need to learn how to tell if the information we receive is reliable, and we all benefit from voicing what is most important to us in our healthcare. If you do not tell your doctor, your treatment team cannot know what you will consider a success of your treatment.
For some patients, their biggest concern may be not going into bankruptcy as a result of cancer treatment. For others, it may be relief from symptoms that make it difficult to do their job or spend quality time with their family. Only you know what is most important to you.
10 Ways to Be Engaged
To get started, follow these 10 ways to be an engaged, prepared patient. We will explore how to apply specific actions in each of these areas to your daily life in future issues.
- Find safe, decent healthcare
- Communicate with your healthcare professionals
- Organize your healthcare
- Pay for your healthcare
- Make good treatment decisions
- Participate in your treatment
- Promote your own health
- Get preventive healthcare
- Plan for end-of-life care
- Seek health knowledge
We all need to learn how to tell if the information we receive is reliable, and we all benefit from voicing what is most important to us in our healthcare.
Your active participation in your health and your healthcare impacts the length and quality of your life.
So let’s get started and keep you on track!
What is one thing you can do today to promote your health?
For daily news on how to be a prepared patient, follow us on Twitter @PreparedPatient
Patient Resources
Center for Advancing Health
http://www.cfah.org/prepared-patient/
Center for Advancing Health Prepared Patient Blog
https://www.cfah.org/blog/list-blog-posts/2015.html
Harvard Medical School Patient Education Center
http://www.patienteducationcenter.org
