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DEL.ICIO.USTake charge of your medical care
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Web searches have given patients access to more medical information than ever before. This is a good thing, because they have much less time to spend with the doctors they visit, according to a recent New York Times aritcle. One oncologist in Pennsylvania says of patient reseach, “I don’t think people have a choice — it’s mandatory.”
Still, there are dangers in self-diagnosing. Web searches return the bad information with the good, and interpreting medical study results and statistics can be a confusing enterprise.
And not every doctor wants to work with a patient who thinks they know better. Clearly, the patient-doctor relationship is going through some growing pains.
What about you? How active are you in your treatment? Has it ever caused friction between you and your doctor or does he/she listen to what you have to say?
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Patient's Rights
Comments
By Katie
October 3, 2008 11:41 AM | Link to this
As a nurse, you had better believe that I am an informed patient. The relationship between my pediatrician and i has be strained at times because I have done so much research regarding vaccinations. However, after realizing that I had done my research and was well informed, he respected my decisions and supported them. Dr’s who feel like you are making off the cuff decisions without having the knowledge to do so are of course goign to be hesitant to agree with you!
It simply saddens me to see people who know nothing about their conditions and who take what Drs are saying to them as gospel and not doing research of their own! NOt all Dr’s are good and there is always an alternatie to the solution. Yes, you need to trust your phsyican, but you need to research on your own to make sure that they know what they are talking about and they are aware of all the options available.
There are so many sites that you can use to do good research and keep yourself informed. Places like the Mayo Clinic and CDC have lots of information on nearly every problem or disease known to man and it is important to know your stuff.
By JJ
October 3, 2008 1:27 PM | Link to this
Definately!! I was diagnosed earlier this year with hyper-parathyroidism. I did a ton of research on WebMD. I was able to ask all kinds of questions with each of the doctors I had to see, in order to get prepared for surgery.
The doctors were amazed I knew as much as I did, and quit impressed with my questions and knowledge. But, you must be sure not to talk down to your doctor, and be completely honest with them. He/She really is the authority.
I think everyone needs to be fully informed of their medical conditions and treatments. There is so much information out there. Not just webMD, but you can google conditions and get a plethora of information!!!!
By Goober
October 3, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this
Men should really research detection and screening, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, especially reliability of PSA tests that if the slightest bit high lead to a biopsy that may reveal a false positive and a good chance of infection from the prostate being stabbed 15 times. Then, they want to do it again if the PSA is still a little high. Start getting the PSA and digital rectal exam annually starting at age 50 and especially if you are African American or have a strong family history of the cancer. It is slow growing so don’t get talked into anything radical until you do your homework.
My sister was a nurse and she said to “keep that thing emptied one way or the other.” Sounded like good advice to me and hasn’t hurt me yet, except for needing glasses.