Being your own Advocate for Health

You know the drill... you go to a new Doctor or to the ER and you are in a Medical 'no mans land' where you are depending on strangers to not only help you but understand you.

There are things you can do to advocate for your health in a way that increases your chances of not only being heard but being treated in a more timely manner, increasing your chances of a better outcome.

• Keep an up to date record of your health on your computer that you can print and take with you whenever you go to the Doctor or Hospital.

This should include all of your diagnosed conditions, when any symptoms started and when they were diagnosed as well as an updated list of medications (include dosage, times and any side effects) allergies (any and all, not just medication) as well as complications that anyone giving care should be aware of. (If your veins are damaged from over-use, tend to roll, etc)

• Hand the printed information to the Doctor so that they can read it.

This might seem like a 'no-brainer' but in times of stress we often forget to give the information needed and when you try to explain verbally to a Physician what is going on they may be listening... or they may be thinking about he patient in the next room and if this medication would be better for them or if they should paint the living room blue this year. If they have a paper to read in front of them they are more likely to retain the information you want them to know.

• Have someone with you that can give you support and be your voice if you do not think you are being heard.

Patients tend to become meek in the presence of Medical Professionals, we are taught to respect authority figures and because of that it is not uncommon to leave an appointment or be sitting in a Hospital room with the frustrated feeling that you were not heard. Having someone with you that knows your situation can not only give you moral support but they can speak up for you if you start to shrink back from the authority figure.

• Take a notebook and take notes.

You need to keep a record of what is being said, this way if something changes you will be able to ask why the treatment has changed. These notes will especially come in handy if you are in the ER so that you can go over them with your Primary Care Physician when you do a follow-up.

• Ask what medications are being administered before they give them and why they are being given.

Never assume when a nurse comes in to give you a pill or inject something into an IV that it is the right medication or it is something you should take. Medical mistakes, though rare, do happen and often can be prevented if you ask for confirmation of the medication when in doubt. (I have had nurses waltz in and grab the IV line with a syringe in their hands ready to inject a medication into it and have stopped them to ask what it is in the past, the nurse would be harried and short with me as they respond "morphine for your pain that the Doctor ordered". I am allergic to morphine and if I had not asked the consequences could have been deadly. I have even had to leave an ER "AMA" in the past because things like this would happen and I did not feel safe in that environment. Leaving AMA is extreme, and I do not recommend it or condone it in any way, I am just sharing this with you as an example of why you need to always ask before anything is given.)

• Make sure that all people entering the room either wash their hands in front of you or use anti-bacterial agents in front of you.

Cross contamination can be a very big issue and is never intentional, do not be afraid to request that people wash their hands, it is the rule in most places and you are only protecting your well being. At the same time you should carry anti-bacterial gel with you at all times and use it often... if you touch something anyone else touches... use it.

As a Patient you do have to take an active roll in your health care and advocating for your health is an essential part of this.