Resources for The Prepared Patient
Prepared Patient 411 |
Intro to Prepared Patient Resources
Most people find that when they have a basic understanding of their disease and their treatment, they do better. For example, they ask better questions of their doctor, their treatment plan is easier to follow because it makes sense, and they have more confidence that they are doing their best to reduce the toll of illness.You may be a person who wants a lot of information about your condition or you may be someone who would prefer to know only the minimum. Regardless of your preferences, you will want to know the answers to these questions:
- What is the name of the condition?
- What does it mean? How does this disease or condition affect my body?
- What caues this condition?
- What causes this condition to get worse?
- What is the typical time course for its progression?
- What tests and procedures are commonly used to diagnose it and determine the course of treatment?
- What treatments are available for this condition?
- What effect does each treatment have? Does it cure this condition? How often? Does it slow its progression? How much?
- What complications and side effects are common — and uncommon — with each treatment?
However, if you want to explore the answers to these questions in preparation for discussing your situation with your doctor, use the following tools to streamline your search and to make sure you are getting the most accurate information.
- What are the most reliable health information sources?
- How can I trust the information I find online?
- How can I translate the medical terms I hear and read?
- How can I make sense of scientific articles?
- What should I believe about health stories on TV and in the newspaper?
- What do risk numbers mean for me?
