Power to the Patient

This is only slightly off topic. It deals with drugs and attitude from health care providers so I thought I would print it. Italics and bold face type are mine.

From: realhealth@healthiernews.com
Sent: 1/3/2010 5:10:32 A.M. Pacific Standard Time
Subj: Daily Dose - Power to the patients


It's easy to take medical risks when it's not your own body at stake.

Docs often forget that -- or some just don't give a hoot -- as they volunteer their unknowing patients to be Big Pharma's next set of human guinea pigs... and too many patients just go along for the ride without asking questions.

But a new study shows patients are much less willing to board the Big Pharma drug bus when they know where it REALLY stops.

The study found that patients are as complacent as sheep when a doc TELLS them what to do. But when a doc ASKS for their input, they're far more likely to thumb their noses at Big Pharma meds and pick less risky treatments.

Researchers at Yale University let patients watch videos in which a doctor described a drug along with a low risk of a serious side effect.

In some cases, the video was followed by instructions that they take the drug. In others, the patients were asked to make a choice.

And it turns out those who were given the choice were much less likely to take the new drug.

I can hear the whines now. "They're only patients! When the heck do they know?" Sound familiar?

I've always found they know a lot more than most docs will ever give them credit for. What they don't know, it's up to us doctors to tell them... and by that I mean the whole truth, not just a line from some drug salesman's propaganda sheet. This is very important! This goes to the heart of informed consent laws!

Believe me, most folks are perfectly capable of figuring it out when we give them all the information they need. But too many dictator docs expect patients to walk into the office and submit to their every command, pop every pill and lie back for every test and procedure -- no questions asked. This is EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT!

Don't put up with that. If your doc won't invite you into the process, politely thank him... walk out... and then invite yourself to a new physician's office. I advise people to do exactly this!

You're not a sheep, and you're no one's guinea pig. If docs don't like it, too bad. Thank you very much!