Patient Empowerment in Medicine - An Idea Whose Time Has Definitely Come
It wasn’t too long ago that getting sick meant going to the doctor, listening to your physician tell you what was wrong with you, and then obediently taking your prescription to the pharmacy to be filled. For anyone to even think about questioning the “take two aspirin and call me in the morning” advice was just unheard of. The doctors went to medical school and know everything, and we as patients didn’t need to educate ourselves about our own bodies or question their diagnoses, right?
Of course, the answer to that question is a really loud “Wrong!!!” Nowadays it’s pretty common for people to head to their appointments armed with books or printouts about their symptoms and for patients to even suggest other treatment choices and/or really want to discuss their options with their doctors.
In other words, patients are beginning to feel empowered. Of course here at this website I’ve added an “H” and made it “EmpowHered,” because my focus is mostly on women advocating for and educating themselves about their health, but it’s definitely something that both men and women can and should be doing.
Other ways that we can empower ourselves as patients is to make sure we have all information necessary before deciding on what procedures and/or medications we will have. It would be nice to not feel rushed by our doctors when at all possible.
This got me to thinking…even though more and more of us are empowering ourselves when we become sick, are there any doctor’s offices or hospitals or treatment centers that also believe in this practice? In other words, should you become ill and go in for an appointment, could you find a physician who is ready and willing to discuss your treatment and educate you about everything you need to know?
A quick Googling of “patient empowerment” brought up a long list of websites that are devoted to this topic. Several are actual medical facilities that practice this everyday with their clients.
The National Brain Aneurysm Center in Minnesota has a page on their website devoted to this topic: www.brainaneurysmcenter.org/aneurysm_patient_empowerment.php
So does the Cancer Treatment Centers of America website: www.cancercenter.com/about-us/philosophy.cfm
And The Kidney Cancer Association had some good information too on the topic: www.kidneycancer.org/knowledge/live/patient-empowerment They are not a treatment facility but as a national organization dedicated to helping people with kidney cancer it’s great that they believe in patient empowerment.
I was so happy to see that so many websites, organizations and facilities are thinking about patient empowerment. I really do believe that if we can maintain some control over our own health and what is happening to us, it will really help us feel better and probably heal faster too when faced with a major health challenge. Being told “you have cancer” or “you have heart disease” can shake you to the very core and make you feel like all control is gone. But patient empowerment can help get it back.
What are some of the ways you’ve empowered yourself? Has your doctor been open to your questions and suggestions about your care?
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Dear Michelle, I truly appreciate your posting and agree with many of your observations.
The word EMPOWHER describes the timeliness of this site. A few years ago, the Internet opened the flood and access to information to thousands of sites that offer information about every aspect of our lives! But it also opened the gates to misleading information, false promises and exagerated claims. I call this the "wild, wild west" of the knowledge era.
Women are lucky to have a community like EmpowHer.com where top experts and qualified moderators can coach, educate and guide along with understanding multiple issues that affect women (young and old) in health, healing and other supporting areas. We are at the casp of revolution in healthcare. Our audience is too smart to accept "business as usual" when it comes to their health. We are also at the cutting edge of what health care will become. The paradigm is shifting and women will be more empowered to define the path to healing and wellness.
Our healthcare system will not longer sustain a "disease-centered" model of care. I hope this community will continue to help women gain a better understanding of the POWER they hold in their hands to achieve a greater quality of life, achieve healing, and contribute to sustaining the values of the human race.
Michelle
Thanks for this - I really like it.
I have found that there are two kinds of medical professionals - those who don't like empowered (I find it really hard to write 'empower' now without the H!) patients because they are either threatened by a knowledgeable patient because they have questions prepared and ask further questions when given medical advice. No Yes Men here! These patients take time and make a doctor work a little harder! Some doctors also simply don't like patients who may challenge them a little. They enjoy their authority and don't like it questioned.
Then there are the doctors who value and appreciate a patient who comes in well-prepared and well-read. This doesn't mean that we, as patients, are educated in the same manner as trained doctors, nor have we their expertize or experience, but it means we access the information out there and put it to good use, in an intelligent, informed and well-researched manner. A doctor who appreciates this kind of empowered patient is the one to keep - the first kind is the one to move on from.
A doctor patient relationship is not a parent-child kind of relationship, nor is it a authoritative-submissive one. To work effectively, it has to be a team effort, with both parties working together, for health and wellness.
Thank you!
Dear Michelle,
Well said and timely. I am a family physician who blissfully cares for exactly this kind of empowhered (and empowhimed?) persons! There are always at least two options in every situation, and usually many many options. Most of the time, the variables to be considered include ones that only the person living their life can weigh (sometimes with input from their family and friends). Only the people affected can evaluate issues of autonomy, privacy, loneliness, need for care, willingness to take on risk and personal responsibility, impact of decisions on relationships, family resources, and spirituality. I really enjoy engaging with people to bring their values to the table as they decide how to manage their own health. I recommend that everyone have a "health committee". The person needs to be the chair and then interview and hire folks to serve on the committee. The key is to see these people as advisors and helpers, to stay in charge yourself, and to never forget who hired these people and who can replace them should the need arise.
Again, thank you for your words and wisdom
Elizabeth Allemann, MD
Columbia Missouri
Michelle,
This is excellent. I have made it my personal mission to make sure that my friends and well.. any one I meet willing to talk about health, know what all their options are.
I refer people to this site all the time, I am so grateful for it.
Thanks.
You are on the mark Michelle. We have to be our own advocates. I love Dr. Elizabeth's comments about a comittee.I have told friends and family when they complain about a practictioner to fire them. Doctors fire patients too. They may couch it with not being able to get an appointment, or recommending a specialist, but they want to fire patients too. You need a relationship with your health care provider that works.