Better Health & Living: Article: Insider Tips

Better Health & Living

Issue: March 2007

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Insider Tips

by Susan Flagg Godbey

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My top 10 list of favorite things to hear from my doctor would begin something like this:

“It’s nothing to worry about.”
“It’s covered by insurance.”
“You’ve lost weight, haven’t you?”

But failing to hear number one, I’d nominate the following as next best: “Well, if it were my wife/husband/child/parent…”

That’s what I call the professional/personal bottom line. It’s what we really want from the people we rely on for diagnoses, medications, and procedures: the course of action they would choose for a family member, based on information, experience, and connections we don’t have. And coming from a physician, the phrase “If it were my [loved one]...” also acknowledges the emotional investment inherent in health care decisions.

Wanting this kind of candid advice is much more than a desire to feel like an insider. Taking an active role in your health care, digging for more information, and seeking the best options are key to protecting yourself—and even saving your life. Did you know, for example, that as many as 40 percent of diagnoses may be wrong? In this issue’s feature, “7 Secrets of Smart Patients,” we tell you when a second opinion is a good idea.

As two top physicians point out in that article, many people die or experience serious consequences every year due to medication mishaps alone. “You can’t be passive,” insist Mehmet C. Oz and Michael F. Roizan, the MDs who literally wrote the book on patient safety. (If these names ring a bell, it’s because they’re tops in their fields, best-selling authors, and frequent television guests who are favorites of Oprah.) To test your knowledge of medical communication and safety issues, we’ve included a quiz from their book, You: The Smart Patient. In addition, you’ll find “7 Tips to Get Better Faster,” a guide to help you ensure the best care and follow-through.

Please review that checklist before your next medical appointment or trip to the drugstore. Even better, tear it out and take it with you. I guarantee that your doctor will be very happy you did—and may even say to his or her spouse that evening, “Boy, did I see a smart patient today.”

‘Til next time,

Susan Flagg Godbey