I am Dr. Monique May, Board-certified Family Physician and Founder of Physician in the Kitchen™. Through my best-selling book, MealMasters: Your Simple Guide to Modern Day Meal Planning, and NEW cookbook, Doc Fix My Plate! The Physician In The Kitchen’s Prescriptions For Your Healthy Meal Makeover, and online cooking classes, I help busy households enjoy healthy eating without impacting their hectic schedules.
As a mother and a physician, it is important to me how my son interacts with the medical profession as he matures and becomes a fully independent person. Take for example last week. He had a consultation with an oral surgeon about getting his wisdom teeth removed per his dentist’s recommendation. That visit motivated me to have the “talk” with my 16-year-old son, and thought that info would be good to share with you as well. No, not THAT talk, and not even the “Living While Black in America” talk (by this age we’ve already had both, several times). The “talk” I am referring to is “How To Be A Well-Informed and Empowered Patient”. The surgeon was very friendly and professional, but as I sat through the visit there were several things that I thought were “teachable moments” for my young man, so we discussed them after the visit. I want him (and you) to be an empowered patient: a patient who has all the information (including evidenced-based recommendations) he or she needs to make the best decisions for his/her health, and is an active participant in his/her healthcare. Below are my tips on how to be an empowered patient:
- Be sure to ask questions. You should not be embarrassed or ashamed to speak up if you don’t understand what you are being told. If the doctor is speaking in jargon (technical medical terms), he or she should tell you what the plain term is as well.
- Be sure to know what the doctor thinks is wrong with you. Even if she doesn’t know, she should be able to tell you what the possibilities are and what she is doing to rule something in or out.
- Be sure to know how your results will be communicated to you. When you have a blood test, an x-ray, a Pap smear, or any procedure you should be notified of the results. NEVER assume “no news is good news”. Test results can be misfiled, not completed, or lost so be sure that loop is closed and you know what the results show. You should also be told when to expect the results so that you can call the doctor’s office if you are not notified by the designated time.
- Be sure you know what the risks and benefits are to the recommended treatment. Ask what could happen if you choose to do nothing and take a “wait and see” approach. Similarly, if you prefer the natural or holistic approach ask the doctor are there any interactions with the prescribed treatment.
- Be sure to seek a second opinion. And don’t you dare feel guilty about it! The original doctor should not be offended because you want or need more information to make a truly informed decision. In fact, she could offer to help you arrange it if needed. For example, I had a surgical procedure a few years ago and the first doctor I consulted was blasé about my concerns about a particular complication. Needless to say, I left his office and never went back. I went on to have the procedure with a different doctor who addressed my concerns (thankfully with no complications!)
- Be sure to ask what is the worse that could happen. Don’t be shy to ask the doctor what he or she would do if it were them or their loved ones. This can give you important insight on how quickly you may need to take action for your condition.
- Be sure to understand what informed consent means. Before a doctor can perform a procedure on you such as a colonoscopy to check for early signs of colon cancer or a knee replacement for a worn out joint, she must give you the information you need to make an informed decision. This includes some of the things I have already mentioned, such as:
- what the procedure is
- the risk and benefits of the procedure
- what alternatives are available
- what are common (and uncommon) complications and what percentage of that doctor’s patients have them
- what to expect after the procedure.
All of this information must be delivered in language you understand that also takes into account cultural and religious considerations when necessary. If not, it cannot be a truly informed decision.
I hope this information starts you on the path to being an empowered patient and is helpful the next time you go to the doctor.
As we head into cold and flu season, be sure to boost your immune system with my nutrient-packed salad at mysupersalad.com.
See You In The Kitchen!!
For more information, be sure to visit me at DrMoniqueMay.com, and join the #MealMastersCommunity at www.Facebook.com/groups/mealmasters today.
