Getting Guidance On The Doctor-Patient Conversation

by Laura Landro focusing on patient empowerment.  In this editon of her column, The Informed Patient, she highlights efforts by a broad range of people to help patients navigate their sometimes all-to-brief conversations with their doctors.  She writes:

"Though medical information has never been more accessible to consumers, many patients still don't have the skills to talk to their doctors and cram all the questions they have about their health into a brief visit. They often ignore what they don't understand, or leave delicate but important issues to the end and then run out of time. So to help patients get answers, health-care officials are offering new discussion aids, providing sample questions patients can ask, and offering advice ranging from making a list of your drugs, to starting with the biggest questions first, to checking that a doctor has your lab results before going to an appointment."