Be sure to take responsibility for your health

MEDICAL MATTERS:AS PEOPLE progress from being patients to healthcare consumers, they increasingly make certain assumptions about what that might mean in terms of service.

But medicine has been slow to catch up with this changing dynamic; as a result, people make certain assumptions about how healthcare works – including some that could be bad for their health.

I came across a useful blog by US primary care physician, Dr Rob Lamberts, last week. His most recent instalment lists some of the harmful assumptions he has seen patients make.

The first is to assume that your doctors communicate efficiently with each other. Your GP is supposed to be the hub of your care. He or she refers you to a specialist, or perhaps you need to be seen in the local emergency department. At the end of this process, he or she should be promptly notified about the investigations and treatment you have received.

The reality is that this flow of information will, at best, be delayed. At worst, the transfer of information may fail – for a variety of reasons.

Your doctor’s records are accurate, right? Again, this cannot be assumed. Patient records may be out of date and contain old, irrelevant information. And they certainly may not be bang up to date, because of the poor flow referred to earlier.

Lamberts has an interesting suggestion: “I personally don’t think this will change until the patient becomes responsible to keep their own records. Nobody will ever care about a patient’s records as much as the patient does,” he says.

“In the meantime, I recommend that you keep an updated list of your medications, surgeries, problems . . . and bring it with you to visits.”

Next is an assumption that has troubled me for some time: the “no news is good news” theory. This is possibly the most dangerous assumption people make in healthcare. If you have a test done and don’t hear anything about the result, do NOT assume all is well.

There have been cases in the media over the past number of years, some involving a fatal outcome, where people assumed no news meant good news. It’s best to make a note of what tests the doctor is doing and always ask for the results. In fairness to doctors, there is so much information flying around them each day, it is impossible to pick up everything.

In a plea for less unnecessary medical testing, Lamberts says: “If someone has a high chance of having a condition, screening for it is useless. If someone has a very low chance of having a condition, screening for it won’t reduce the risk.

“Having more information is often not helpful, can lead to unnecessary worry or further testing, and costs a lot of money for no gain. I don’t want more information, I want the right information.”

Never apologise for asking a doctor questions. So what if your symptom sounds “weird” or if you think your prescribed medication is possibly causing side effects. We are here to listen and try to help. And we need you to help us to help you to the best of our ability.

“Patients’ questions help me in several ways,” Lamberts writes. “First, they let me know what I am not explaining well enough. I think people follow instructions better when they understand them, so if you don’t understand what I said, ask.

“Second, questions build my credibility. If I can explain the reason for my recommendations, I am more trusted. If I fear questions, then it looks like I am hiding something.

“Third, and most importantly, questions sometimes lead to better care. Sometimes patients ask me about something I haven’t considered. Sometimes, the questions make me think things through and see my faulty logic. Sometimes, questions make me look for information and learn something.”

And a final tip: when you have an appointment to see a doctor, spend some time thinking about the consultation. It’s a good idea to jot down the details of your main symptoms as well as a note of any questions you have.