Becoming an Empowered Patient
By Angela Levesque 
There are many things about our current medical system that dis-empowers people. Now this isn’t an affront to the doctors or nurses, but more to the system that we have created. Most people who work in healthcare really do care about their patients and want to help, but the system that we have designed does not permit that compassion to flourish. Patients have a very short amount of face time with their doctors and this does not allow the doctors or the patients to really get to the root cause of the problem. Like it or not this is the status quo, but there are many things you can do to improve your health and feel empowered.
1. Be Accountable
Our healthcare is a partnership. There is nothing more empowering than being accountable for whom and where you are in life. Please do not mistake accountability for blame. It serves no one to blame yourself, but owning up to the fact that you can make a difference in your health is very important. I like to use the analogy of a car to describe our current relationship with our medical system. We wait until the check engine light goes on and then we take our car in, drop of the keys and say “call me when it is fixed”. This isn’t working for us. Our health should be looked at as a partnership and the main driver of it is you. So without blame, look at where you are, where you want to go and what is your part in getting you there?
2. Have an Advocate
Anyone who has been told news about something serious knows how hard it can be to listen to details after the news is shared. For this reason, bring someone with you who can take notes and ask questions. Also, if you know you are the type of person who is a people pleaser or avoids confrontation then bring someone with you who will speak up for you. This is your health and your life. Ask the hard questions and don’t be afraid to play the devil’s advocate. Make sure you take down details. So often Doctors will dumb things down, but ask for the layman’s version as well as the clinical details. It is hard to feel empowered when you don’t really know what is going on. If you do know of someone who can advocate for you that has some clinical knowledge, then even better.
3. Know your Potential
One of the marvels of modern medicine is our diagnostic capabilities, but I urge people to beware of labels for they are limiting. Listen to your diagnosis, prognosis and your doctor’s advice, but know your potential. Statistics tell the story of a population and they do not tell your story. They know not of your strengths, your support and most importantly your heart. Knowing what you have can be helpful, but do not let it set limits for you. You are not a statistic. So never let anybody put a ceiling on your potential and what you think is possible. All things are possible.
OM Times Magazine » syndicated
