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Just what is an Empowered Patient?
Being a patient is scary. You want to trust your doctor, and yet . . .
- you’ve heard of patients getting the wrong medicine.
- you know of someone who died unexpectedly.
- you don’t understand your diagnosis but are afraid to ask questions.
Above all else, an empowered patient is one not afraid to speak up and advocate for himself. In her recently released book, The Empowered Patient, Elizabeth Cohen, Senior Medical Correspondent at CNN, explains how anyone can become one.
Elizabeth’s own frightening medical experiences after childbirth opened her eyes to the dangers of not making waves. I’ll let her tell you the details, but what she learned from her suffering is true: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Trusting the medical establishment to always know and do what is best for you can leave you in a precarious position. She might have died had her husband not intervened on her behalf.
As an empowered patient you’ll be prepared for doctor visits; you’ll ask questions if you don’t understand your diagnosis or treatment plan; you’ll ask about alternatives if the options given you seem undesirable; you’ll speak up if you can’t afford the medication your doctor prescribes; you’ll be aware of dangers inherent in today’s medical system and therefore be better able to avoid them.
The Empowered Patient helps people learn how to navigate our imperfect health care system as it is. It expresses many of the ideas found in my own book, 101 Ways to Save Money on Health Care, but from a patient’s perspective. Both focus on improving the doctor-patient relationship and finding excellent but affordable health care. I enjoyed the many anecdotes she relates, stories anyone can relate to.
Would you spend $10.00 to learn more? That’s all it costs to purchase her book at Amazon. Do all you can to be an active participant in your own health care. Odds are, you’ll be glad you did.
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