Patients Also Need to Prepare to Provide Information
to the Doctor
Dr. Marie Savard, How to Save Your Own Life
I urge you to be your own health
advocate. It could save your life.
In How To Save Your Own Life (Warner Books
Trade Paperback Original; May 2000), Dr. Savard points
out the
many reasons you should keep your health records updated
and more importantly, understand them fully. If you
had an emergency, how quickly could you put your hands
on the vital health information that could save your
life? Who is responsible for your medical records? The
answer is YOU.
Patients Also Need to Prepare to Provide Information
to the Doctor
A survey in 2003 found that only about one in three
people visit doctors’ offices armed with information
they’ve already gathered, while close to two in
three people seek out information after visiting their
doctors.
"There is tremendous value in preparing for a
doctor’s visit," Marie Savard, M.D., internist,
author and patient advocate based in Philadelphia, said
in 2003.
"Studies show that doctors base up to 80 percent
of their diagnoses on what patients tell them about
their symptoms, history and lifestyle."
Preparing in advance for a trip to the doctor helps
a patient feel more confident in articulating symptoms
and raising issues or questions to the doctor, particularly
in situations in which the patient may not understand
the doctor’s advice.
"My advice to all patients is to be informed about
your health," Dr. Savard said.
"The more you are involved in your health care
rather than relying solely on your doctor, the healthier
you could be.
Savard says her most important tip for preparing well
for a doctor’s visit is to visit a web site that
contains health information from sources that doctors
trust and recommend.
"Patients have access to credible, physician-trusted
information and tools online. One of the newest avenues
to quality health and medical information is MerckSource.com,
which provides people with access to the types of resources
that can help them partner with their doctors in managing
their health," Savard said.
