Be a Good Patient: Your Health Care is Your Responsibility
By Ellen Rangel ARNP, Kansas Senior Press Service
A project of the KU Center on Aging
Lately I have been hearing things people have done (or not done) that have resulted in either their becoming seriously ill or receiving improper diagnosis for months. There are simple things everyone can do that make a lot of difference in the care you receive or how the doctors treat your medical problems.
• The biggest problem seems to be around medications and how they are used or not used. When you are given a prescription for a health condition, the medication is prescribed to treat that problem. If it is an antibiotic, specific organisms need to be treated for a specific amount of time regardless of how you are feeling. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “I got to feeling better so I stopped the medicine,” and then the condition reoccurred. No it didn’t! It simply wasn’t completely cured the first time. You need to take ALL of the prescribed medicine, especially antibiotics.
• The next thing that happens is that people often save the “left over” medication-- sometimes for years. If they or another family member have a similar illness occur, regardless of the length of time since the previous illness, they start taking the “left over” medication. Very bad idea! Why? Because medications are chemicals, and those chemicals lose effectiveness after a given amount of time. Also, they are developed to combat specific types of organisms. Who’s to say what the other family member might have wrong with them, or they might be allergic to something in the drug, or it’s just not the right medication for their condition. You also have no idea how the “left over” medication will interact with other medications they might be taking.
• If you are taking someone else’s medicine (in spite of being cautioned not to) please tell your health care provider when you see him or her. It will probably make a difference in the medicine that will be prescribed for you. Physicians and Pharmacists go to school for years to learn all about chemicals, chemical combinations and drug affects and drug interactions with other drugs, etc. This is not something that we should take lightly! I see these things happening more and more as the price of medication goes up. I understand the need to save money on prescriptions, but this is not the way to do it. It is a serious matter and one that could have serious consequences.
• Not telling the health care provider about the vitamins and health supplements that you’re taking is another common omission. Vitamins and any supplement purchased at a health food store can/may have an affect on prescribed medications and need to be included in your list of medications taken. A number of people carry a list of their prescribed medications including their vitamins and supplements. This is most helpful not only to the doctor but also the pharmacist.
• Another important thing is to tell your health care provider EVERYTHING. He or she only knows what you tell them! If you are afraid that you are going to forget, write it down. If you don’t think that you can remember everything or answer the questions about family history, take a family member or trusted friend with you. An extra pair of ears is good insurance that you will remember and understand everything, both the instructions you are given and all of the questions you were asked. Again, this is so very important because treatment, or lack there of will depend on good two-way communication.
• If you have health-care questions, call your physician’s office or one of the help lines such as “Ask a Nurse.” They can advise you and it might be a few minutes well spent.
When it comes right down to it, you are responsible for your health care. The medical community is there to assist, advise, prescribe and treat. Much of the outcome will depend on how good a patient you choose to be.
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