Have you ever left your doctor’s office wondering about what you have been just told about your health? Or how exactly you are going to relieve or prevent a health issue? You are not alone; a typical patient usually remembers less than half of the entire conversation they have just had with their doctor.
According to the New York Times, nation-wide studies have concluded that knowledge about one's health is remarkably low,
with more than 90 million Americans unable to properly understand
basic health information. This barrier affects people of all ages, races, income and education levels, as also reiterated in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
This low healthcare information knowledge results in poor adherence to prescription instructions, improper use of medical services, increased hospitalizations and visits to
the emergency room and inadequate control of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure) and high cholesterol.
What YOU can do:
Better Communication:
You, as a patient, should be very comfortable with the experience you have at the doctor's office. However, there are two hurdles in the way. The main obstacle in the limited time period a patient can spend with their doctors. Ideal appointment time period is usually of 15 minutes, which is largely directed by medical reimbursement plans and managed care. The second obstacle is the embarrassment patients generally feel about not knowing what doctors are talking about due to the patient's lack of knowledge regarding basic health. In addition to that, patients feel the imbalance in power where the white-coated doctor is deemed the correct one, whose instructions patients must adhere to. This makes it even more difficult to ask for clarification.
The solution to this problem lies mainly within the realms of
medical education and clinical practice. More medical schools and training programs for physicians
need to include training in clinical communication skills. Doctors must bring it to their practice to pause from time to time and provide an opportunity to the patients to ask questions and inquire whether the patients have fully understood what is being discussed. Doctors should also provide written instructions and educational material for the patient and family to review at home. At the same time, patients should be encourage to increase their knowledge of basic health and play a more active role in a doctor's office while discussing treatment options.
Be Proactive and Take the Lead:
It will take time before more and more doctors become better at communication. Ultimately, you are the one receiving medical care. You need to take an initiative if you wish to receive the best healthcare. During your appointment, at any point in time, if you feel you do not understand something, politely pause the doctor and ask the information to be repeated in a more language that you can understand. Don't wait for the doctor to ask you if you understand what is being told. Instead, if you are being given new set of instructions, repeat them back to the doctor to confirm your understanding. If the instructions involve using a device, demonstrate how you would use it at home. Additionally, patients can also take notes and even tape-record the conversation that can be listened to at home by you, your family or another doctor.
If you would like to expand your knowledge regarding your specific health status, always choose reputable sources. Some online sources that can be used are National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov), US Department of Health and Human Services (www.healthfinder.gov), Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.org) and Canadian Health Network (www.canadian-health-network.ca). Try to avoid anecdotal information provided by other patients or their relatives as well as NON-EVIDENCE BASED information provided by commercial facilities.
