Developing effective partnerships with your doctors and other health care professionals is one of your most important challenges as a patient. In a previous issue of Patient-to-Patient, we proposed a new definition of a patient:
pa tient (pa' shent) n. 1.) a well-informed person who seeks knowledge, forms an effective partnership with doctors and other health care professionals, and makes decisions which help to shape his or her treatment.
It's not always easy, but developing truly collaborative partnerships with your doctors is worth your time. And it's a key to how well your medical team addresses your medical issues.
Many people feel intimidated by doctors. Maybe it's early childhood memories of shots and other unpleasant events. For some people, just seeing the white coats can trigger strong emotions. But overcoming these fears is essential to communicating with your doctor.
Being your own doctor?
You are probably not a medical expert. That's your doctor's role. But you know more than you think you do! John Larrimer, my endocrinologist, has often reminded me that "You have to be your own endocrinologist," emphasizing that nobody knows you and your illness better than you do.
Even if you are "your own endocrinologist," you still need doctors and other professionals on your team. And you need to know how to partner effectively with them. Building these working relationships with doctors has several elements in common with building any relationship. These include trust, mutual respect, similar philosophies on life, compatible philosophies on health care, and common ground on the way patients and health care professionals should work together.
Choosing your team
First and foremost, you want doctors who are very good at what they do. Medical competence is the overriding factor to consider. If you have a choice, try to find a doctor who also:
* Listens, which should not be confused with good hearing.
* Considers all symptoms, even those that "do not fit" a familiar pattern or the doctor's expectations.
* Considers your description at least as much as test results.
* Approaches problems based on a balance between facts, feelings and intuition.
* Possesses a broad and level knowledge of medicine, not just a narrow specialized focus.
Preparation and communication
Once you have selected your doctors and the rest of your health care team, you face a new challenge: making the most of your time with them. Most doctors are very busy. Their time with you is usually very brief. Making the most of this limited face-to-face time requires both preparation and communication.
Preparation means:
* Finding out as much as you can ( or want to ) about your condition, possible diagnoses, and treatments.
* Putting together a list of questions you want to ask the doctor.
* Prioritizing your questions and concerns, asking the most important ones first in case you don't get to ask all of them.
Communication means:
* Getting to the point. Discuss your principal complaints first.
* Staying focused. Avoid getting off the point.
* Bringing your medical records, especially past test results, if you're seeing the doctor for the first time.
* Taking notes. You might also bring a small cassette recorder.
* Taking a spouse or friend. Two sets of ears are better than one.
* Not allowing someone else to put words in your mouth.
* Making sure you understand what the doctor is saying. If you're not sure you understand, ask for clarification.
* Asking about treatment alternatives and their pros and cons.
Last but not least, be yourself. Even though illness may change how your live your life, you are still you. We offer suggestions. But only you can decide what style works best for you, as you continue to work with your doctor and other members of your medical team.
http://www.parkviewpub.com/patienttopatient2