Whether you are recently diagnosed or dealing with a long-term condition, you should be involved in the decision-making process. The same is true if you and your doctor are discussing preventive screenings and/or diagnostic testing. Historically, a doctor would tell you your diagnosis and course of treatment, and you would do your best to follow […]
Communicating with Your Healthcare Team
The Impact of Rudeness in Medicine
No one likes to be spoken to rudely. It’s unpleasant and unnerving. Although rudeness can hurt our feelings, in medical settings, rudeness can be quite dangerous. In fact, rudeness can cause staff to make mistakes that can lead to patient harm, even death. So what is the possible impact of rudeness in medicine on you […]
10 Tips to Communicate Better with Doctors
How you communicate with your doctor impacts your health. It can even make a difference between life and death. But it can be hard. Your doctor may use medical terms you can’t understand. And with time-squeezed appointments, doctors often rush and/or interrupt patients. Moreover, when you’re dealing with a serious health condition, you feel stressed […]
Understanding Medical Information Is Harder Than Most Realize
“You don’t know what you don’t know.” It might be a tired adage, but it readily applies to navigating the medical world. Certainly, you need to understand health information for the best chance of a good outcome. But understanding medical information is harder than most realize. Understanding medical information requires health literacy – the ability […]
What Do Doctors Think About Electronic Health Records?
It has become a common sight – doctors with their laptops or tablets, conversing with patients while navigating through Electronic Health Records (EHRs), searching, and typing. What do doctors think about Electronic Health Records? Would you be surprised to hear that EHRs add to doctors’ stress? EHRs have certainly impacted the type of interactions we […]
