In my last "Share" I told the story of how I came to be a patient advocate and speaker, write The Savvy Patient's Toolkit and start the Savvy Patient School. Today I will share seven of the key insights I've gained through the years since I first began writing the book. Why seven? I don't want to give you too many, because it is my hope that you will take some time to think about each them. I hope they will spur you to think more about the way you think about medical care and how you go about obtaining your personal care. I'd also like to know your experiences and thoughts.
2. We don't understand the importance of documenting details of our health issues as they evolve. Those that do seldom have it organized in a fashion for easy access and helping us over time. We rely on our doctors to document and remember everything and to the next point - our memory.
3. We think we can remember everything about a particular health issue or at least enough to get by, but the details we can't remember may be just the details needed to obtain a timely and accurate diagnosis or better treatment plan.
4. We all think we know how to tell our healthcare providers our stories, but studies show otherwise. We don't provide all of the right information, in the right way, at the right time.
5. We think we need to understand medicine to ask the right questions - absolutely not. Many questions can be asked that will not only help us learn, but help expand our doctors thinking and increase our chances for an accurate diagnosis, the right procedures and the right treatment plan.
6. If blood test results are recorded in the right way we don't have to understand much about the blood tests themselves to track them and know when to ask questions. Sometimes doctors don't recognize patterns or changes in results over time. In my first post I told of my husband's kidney failure diagnosis that occurred partly because the doctor failed to review blood tests results.
7. We don't realize we can play a key role in heading off and preventing medical errors. We also don't recognize when an error has occurred or that we may have create one ourselves.
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Hello Margo,
Those are seven valid points that we all need to be aware of.
Four years ago, I was diagnosed with olfactory neuroblastoma, a rare form of brain cancer. I learned to ask for copies of all diagnostic testing, such as PET scans and MRIs. I received copies of the operative reports. I have copies of all laboratory test. I keep a journal in which I record every doctor's appointment, diagnostic procedures and surgeries.
Keeping my own records helps me keep track of what has been done and to remind my physicians should some bit of information be forgotten or overlooked.
Maryann
March 28, 2012 - 5:30pmThis Comment
I pray you remain cancer free. So glad to hear about your journal. Your might be interested in my book. It provides forms and a mechanism for helping with accessiblity as more time passes. Nurses tend to really like it. It was used in a nursing curriculum. Just a thought. Take care, Margo
March 28, 2012 - 6:16pmThis Comment