Doctor
Patient
Communications |
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The
Doctor - Patient Disconnect
Command respect from
your doctor. |
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No Room
for White Lies
Fibbing to your
doctor can be dangerous |
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Behold the Second Opinion
Second opinions are
important, but there are some guidelines for
getting the best information. |
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Three
questions you should ask your doctor
The AskMe3
group provides guidelines to patients. |
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Follow Up on Test Results
Don't assume
your doctor's office will provide test
results when they come in. Be proactive! |
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Be Informed Before You Give Consent
When you visit
your doctor, you are asked to sign an
"informed consent" form. Read why you
need to make sure you really have been
informed, and you understand the information
you are given. |
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Who's Who in Health Care? (part I)
There are so many
initials after the names of healthcare
providers. Here are the designations
given to doctors. |
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Who's Who in Health Care? (part
II)
More
o As
You're Told!
Complying with your
doctor's instructions is an important part
of healing. |
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Ask
Health Care Workers to Wash Their Hands
You will
be
amazed
at how
effective
this tip
can be
to
prevent
yourself
from
getting
infected. |
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Tell ALL
Your
Doctors
What You
Think!
Providing
feedback
to the
doctor
who
treated
you is
important,
but just
as
important
is
letting
the
person
who
referred
you know
about
your
experience,
too. |
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Five
Words
Make all
the
Difference
Once
your
doctor
provides
you with
a
diagnosis,
what
should
you do
next to
make
sure
you'll
get the
best
treatment? |
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Think
Like a
Consumer
to Stay
Healthy!
Be
sure
your
doctor's
motives
are
focused
on you
and not
on his
or her
skills
or
income. |
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When
You and
Your
Doctor
Disagree
You've
made
your
choices
for
treatment
and
follow
up care,
but your
doctor
disagrees
and
doesn't
want to
support
your
decision.
What
does an
empowered
patient
do? |
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Glen's
Decision,
Revisited
The last
in the
series
about
Glen,
who
chose an
alternative
treatment
for a
brain
tumor
but had
to take
a second
look at
his
choice. |
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Tap
Into the
Knowledge
of the
Professionals
in the
Doctor's
Office
Your
doctor
isn't
the only
person
in her
office
who can
help
you.
There is
plenty
of
information
you can
get from
others.
Here's a
guide to
who can
help you
while
you are
there. |
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When
It's
Time to
Change
Doctors
Moving?
Doctor's
practice
closing?
Just
have a
feeling
that you
and your
doctor
need to
part
ways?
Here are
some
smart
steps
for
leaving
your
doctor,
and
preparing
to
transition
to the
new one. |
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When
It's
Time to
Change
Doctors
- Part
II
Part II
-
Meeting
With
Your New
Doctor
Finding
a new
doctor
gives
you an
opportunity
to start
fresh
with
your
communication,
collaboration
and
finding
your
best
medical
outcomes. |
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East,
West and
Wellness
(Complementary
and
Alternative
Medicine)
We
patients
in the
Western
world
are
beginning
to learn
about
and
embrace
Eastern
medicine,
from
herbal
supplements
to
acupuncture
and
yoga.
But what
about
our
doctors?
How can
we make
our
choices
and be
honest
with
them,
too? |
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TOP OF
PAGE
Medical
Records
and
Tests |
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Build a Personal Health Journal (part 1)
Keeping track of your
personal and family medical records can help
you later when you run into health problems. |
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Records are yours for the taking (medical
records - part II)
Learn how to
get a hold of your medical records. |
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Building a Personal Health Journal (medical
records - part III)
Learn how to
get a hold of your medical records when your
doctor has closed his practice, plus a
review of systems for keeping your materials
together. |
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Follow Up on Test Results
Don't assume
your doctor's office will provide test
results when they come in. Be proactive! |
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Learn from the Headlines
It can be dangerous
to make treatment changes based on what you
hear or read in the media. Here is a
way to use that information to your benefit. |
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Consider
Your
Advanced
Directives
Making decisions about your end of life
care, and making sure your loved ones
understand what those wishes are is a
wonderful gift which provides peace of mind.
From
DNRs to
living
wills to
healthcare
proxies
-- learn
what
they are
and why
they are
important. |
Prescription
Drugs |
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Ads for Prescription Drugs Are A Place to
Start
Don't let those drug
companies manipulate you |
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Prescription Mistakes are Over a Million
Millions of people
have died or been injured by prescription
drug errors. Learn more about the
errors. This is Part I of two parts. |
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Prevent Prescription Errors
Keep yourself and
your loved ones safe by following this
protocol when your doctor gives you a new
prescription. This is Part II of two
parts. |
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Generic
Drugs:
What You
Need to
Know
What are
they?
Why are
they
different?
Can you
benefit
from
their
use? |
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Prescription
Abbreviations:
Cracking
the Code
The
written
prescription
handed
to you
by your
doctor
may look
confusing
due to
all the
abbreviations
and
acronyms.
But it's
important
for you
to
understand
what it
says.
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PAGE |
Hospitals
& Safety |
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MRSA :: Every Hospital's Dirty Little Secret
If you or a loved one is faced with a
hospital stay, take this cautionary tale to
keep yourself safe from infection. |
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Keep Yourself Safe from Hospital Acquired
Infections
Learn more about the necessary steps, and
the work by RID: Reduce Hospital
Deaths |
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Keep Yourself Safe
in the Emergency Room
From keeping your sense of humor to choosing
which hospital ER is best for you, here are
some ideas for getting the best care. |
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Use ICE on Your
Cell Phone
No -- not the ICE that has anything to do
with liquid refreshment! This ICE may
save a life. |
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Patient Safety Day
Almost 100,000
Americans DIE each year from medical errors
including bad surgeries, hospital acquired
infections and pharmaceutical drug mistakes.
Patients need to stand up for safe
healthcare. Learn how. |
Compliance |
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No Room
for White Lies
Fibbing to your
doctor can be dangerous |
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Do As
You're Told!
Complying with your
doctor's instructions is an important part
of healing. |
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Misdiagnosis
and
Medical
Errors |
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What if you've
only got a few months to live?
Trisha explains why
she became "Every Patient's Advocate" |
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The
Problem with "Should"
A bow to National
Patient Safety Week and how to prevent
misdiagnosis. |
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The Flip of a Coin Isn't Good Enough
The Rand Healthcare
report = we all get shoddy health care. |
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MRSA -
Every
Hospital's
Dirty
Little
Secret
Learn
how to
protect
yourself
from
this "superbug"
infection
that can
kill. |
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When is
a
Specialist
the
Wrong
Specialist
for You?
Specialists know
their
own body
systems
very
well.
But many
health
problems
get
attributed
to the
wrong
body
system
-- and
those
specialists
don't
know to
look for
it
elsewhere. |
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TOP OF
PAGE |
Using
the
Internet
for
Health-Related
Research |
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Ads for Prescription Drugs Are A Place to
Start
Don't let those drug
companies manipulate you |
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Are you a
Cyberchondriac?
Self-diagnosing by using the internet can
interfere with good medical outcomes. |
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Getting
the
Support
You Need
Sometimes
medical
professionals
can't
answer
all your
questions.
When
that
happens,
turn to
other
patients
for
support.
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Use
the
Internet
Wisely
to Find
Reliable
Health
Information
(part I)
Learn
about
Health
on the
Net
(HON)
and how
it can
help
you. |
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Use
the
Internet
Wisely
to Find
Reliable
Health
Information
(Part
II)
Medical
Journals
can be
an
excellent
source
of
health
information.
Here are
some
things
you need
to know
about
them. |
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Use the
Internet Wisely to Find Reliable Health
Information (Part III)
There is plenty of good information about
doctors online. But there is also
information that is incorrect or not
objective. Learn how to find the information
that is useful. |
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Use Blogs and
Wikis to Find Further Medical Information
(Part
IV)
Blogs and Wikis may offer you unique
ideas and teach you things your doctor
didn't (or won't!) tell you. Learn what
they are, and how to use them to your
benefit. |
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Online
Medical Information Can't Always be Trusted
(Part V)
Sometimes information isn't helpful at all.
In fact, it may be wrong and dangerous.
Assess the information using some of these
tips to be sure it can be helpful to you. |
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Glen's
Decision,
Revisited
The last
in the
series
about
Glen,
who
chose an
alternative
treatment
for a
brain
tumor
but had
to take
a second
look at
his
choice. |
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Miscellaneous |
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Listen
to Your Inner Voice
Intuition?
Instinct? It's there to help! |
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Learn from the Headlines
It can be dangerous
to make treatment changes based on what you
hear or read in the media. Here is a
way to use that information to your benefit. |
|
|
Be Informed Before You Give Consent
When you visit
your doctor, you are asked to sign an
"informed consent" form. Read why you
need to make sure you really have been
informed, and you understand the information
you are given. |
|
|
Who's Who in Health Care? (part I)
There are so many
initials after the names of healthcare
providers. Here are the designations
given to doctors. |
|
|
Who's Who in Health Care? (part
II)
More
designation translations for the alphabet
soup of health care providers. |
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Ask
Health Care Workers to Wash Their Hands
Hospital and exam room infection rates are
alarming, and many infections would never be
transmitted, if only doctors would wash
their hands. |
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Evolving Options
Integrative Medicine -- Alternative and
Complementary Therapies -- much to learn and
choices to make. |
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Be a Smart Health Insurance Consumer
How can you tell which health insurance plan
best meets your needs? A hint:
it's probably not the one that has the
lowest premiums! |
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What Kindergarten Teaches Us About Our
Healthcare
Just like Robert
Fulghum's bestseller of 20 years ago, some
of our best lessons in healthcare are the
basics we learned in school. |
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Those Amazing
Medical Diagnostic Machines
You've heard their names: X-Rays, MRIs,
UltraSound and others. What's are the
differences among them and what can doctors
learn from them? |
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Resolutions for Sharp Patients
Prepare yourself for 2007 with these easy,
but effective ideas for finding your best
medical outcome. |
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Making
Tough Treatment Decisions
Sometimes it's tough to make
decisions when our emotions get in the way
of our objectivity. Use this approach to
help you make the right decision for you. |
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Take a Look at Clinical Trials
You can help yourself, and other
patients who will someday be diagnosed with
your same medical problem, by participating
in clinical trials. |
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Prevention: Stay
Healthy and Save Money, Too
Better to proactively prevent medical
problems by living healthy than to need to
pay for the reactive side of medical care,
both in time and money. |
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The Concept of
Medical Home
Patients are often frustrated by a lack of
coordination of their healthcare. The
concept of "medical home" was developed to
support that idea of coordination -- but
that theory doesn't turn out to be too
successful in actual practice. |
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East,
West and
Wellness
(Complementary
and
Alternative
Medicine)
We
patients
in the
Western
world
are
beginning
to learn
about
and
embrace
Eastern
medicine,
from
herbal
supplements
to
acupuncture
and
yoga.
But what
about
our
doctors?
How can
we make
our
choices
and be
honest
with
them,
too? |
Healthcare
Costs
and
Consumerism |
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Double Check Your
Doctor Bills
Eight out of 10 medical bills has an error,
yet we patients rarely double check to be
sure we aren't being billed for services we
didn't receive. Here is an easy way to
be sure you aren't the victim of overbilling. |
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Be a Smart Health
Insurance Consumer
How can you tell which health insurance plan
best meets your needs? (A hint:
It's probably not the one that has the
lowest premiums!) |
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Prevention:
Stay
Healthy
and Save
Money,
Too
Better
to
proactively
prevent
medical
problems
by
living
healthy
than to
need to
pay for
the
reactive
side of
medical
care,
both in
time and
money.
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Let the
State
Help You
Dispute
an
Insurance
Claim
When
you've
exhausted
your
possibilities
for
getting
your
claim
paid by
your
insurance
company,
then ask
the
state
insurance
department
to lend
an
assist.
Here's
how. |
Healthcare
Reform |
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Why Healthcare Reform
Is Important to You
No matter how
good your health insurance may be, the 47
million uninsured Americans are costing you
money out of your pocket, through both your
taxes and your premiums. Learn how
that happens, and find resources for
learning more. |
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