ROBERT MUSCALUS, D.O.: By taking additional time to explore options, to get additional information, patients become empowered and feel more in control of their own healthcare, by being able to ask questions, to do research, to get additional opinions, to start to lay out a strategy and a framework for their future care.
ANNOUNCER: Taking time allows for step two following diagnosis, which is to get the support you need.
CAROLYN M. CLANCY, MD: When receiving a new diagnosis, it's incredibly important to engage members of your family or friends, people who can work with you.
Having another person with you when you make visits, when you get tests done, means that there's someone who's at a little more of an emotional distance who can ask questions that you might have overlooked. It's very helpful to have a partner, an advocate with you throughout this process.
ANNOUNCER: A partner in the process can also take notes, and help review information following a visit with a doctor. And no one should feel isolated or alone, for there are plenty of places to turn for help.
CAROLYN M. CLANCY, MD: People who live alone or don't have immediate family or immediate family who could be helpful or friends or coworkers can often reach out through other community resources.
A really good place to start is the physician's office, because either the physician, nurse, or other office personnel will often know about resources in the community who can be helpful.
ANNOUNCER: Step three after diagnosis is to talk with your doctor and maintain a good, two-way flow of information.
CAROLYN M. CLANCY, MD: Communication between physicians and patients is one of the most fundamentally important parts of clinical care. If you can't communicate effectively with the physician who's taking care of you, you're not going to get the most of that person's expertise, and you're certainly not going to learn as much as you could about how you can make new treatments, new procedures work for you.
ANNOUNCER: Good communications means a relationship in which a patient feels free to ask questions.
GREGG S. MEYER, MD: As a physician, I can tell you that on my own I can't do a great job taking care of patients. I need to work with my patients in their own healthcare, and so it's incredibly important for patients to ask the questions. Be a well-informed patient.
ANNOUNCER: To be well informed and an active participant, patients might prepare for office visits by writing down questions in advance. Patients must tell their doctor all he or she needs to know about their health. Patients and their doctors must discuss when it is appropriate to seek a second opinion.
ROBERT MUSCALUS, D.O.: I think it's wise for patients to consider a second opinion, especially when the treatment that is being proposed is invasive or has risks that cause the patient to feel uncomfortable.
Sometimes, depending upon an individual's insurance coverage, a second opinion is in fact required. And I think the medical community is very open to the concept of second opinions, so patients should not feel that they are going to somehow upset their physician by asking if they could get a second opinion.
ANNOUNCER: Step four following diagnosis is to seek out information.
CAROLYN M. CLANCY, MD: When facing a new diagnosis, there are multiple sources of information. The first source is going to be the physician who ordered the tests, or for whatever reason, found out about the new diagnosis and has shared that information with you. But, from the internet, from all kinds of resources, working with a librarian or others who are very savvy about obtaining electronic information, you can learn a whole lot more about what the implications of the diagnosis are, what it means for people like you and that can be very, very empowering.
ANNOUNCER: Doctors can help recommend reliable sources of information, such as books, patient support organizations, and sites on the internet. But a patient should check information they come across with their doctor.
ROBERT MUSCALUS, D.O.: The internet can be a great source of information. There are a lot of well-recognized, respected organizations that provide very good information. Patients need to be careful about information that makes claims that sound simply too good to be true. If they announce breakthroughs or discoveries not known before, there should be some caution with using that information for their own healthcare.
ANNOUNCER: Taking time, engaging support, talking with your doctor, and seeking out information all have one goal, and that's step five: Deciding on a treatment plan.
CAROLYN M. CLANCY, MD: Following a diagnosis and exploring all options, the ultimate goal is to find out, particularly when there's multiple choices involved, what is the right treatment for you. What is going to be most consistent with your own preferences? What's going to make it easiest for you to continue the life that you've been leading?
ANNOUNCER: Occasionally, there's just one recommended treatment. Other times, there may be no good option, and a doctor might recommend participation in a clinical trial. More often, however, there are choices among proven strategies.
ROBERT MUSCALUS, D.O.: Oftentimes, there are multiple approaches to treating a particular illness. When patients have a discussion with their physician about that diagnosis, they need to discuss the different treatment options. The patient's doctor is probably the best person to have that discussion with because they know the patient, they know their history, they know their background and they may be able to identify which of those options, in their opinion, is best for the patient
ANNOUNCER: Choices reflect the quality of available healthcare in the US, and progress in our understanding how to fight disease. But choices also mean healthcare consumers must reach out and take advantage of the good sources of information that is available.
CAROLYN M. CLANCY, MD: Now, the really good news for all of us in this country right now is that, for many conditions, there are two or more options for almost any step of the process and that's fabulous news. But it also means there's more information to navigate to figure out what's right for me.
ANNOUNCER: Good sources of information are available on the internet, including sites sponsored by national organizations dealing with specific diseases and conditions. Government sites can also be helpful, such as the HealthFinder site sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Information Resource Database is sponsored by the National Health Information Center. MedlinePlus has extensive information from the National Institutes of Health. And information and guides for patients are available from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, at AHRQ.gov. |
