Speak Up

May 6, 2013

Yesterday’s USA Weekend has a great article entitled, “Speak up to doctors, for dear life.”  According to the article, “about 100,000 people die each year due to medical errors, largely from misdiagnosis.” 

You don’t want to be one of those patients; and, as your physician, I do everything possible to avoid misdiagnosing your illness.  Unfortunately, diagnosing an illness is a complicated and dynamic process.  The article mentioned above has several excellent tips on how you, the patient, can increase your odds of a proper diagnosis.

Number 1 – Partner with your doc.  The article states, “So many patients are used to a parent-child relationship, but you want to be an equal partner.”  Actually, you are the managing partner.  The physician should serve as wise counsel and recognize that the ultimate decision about your health is yours!

Number 2 – Practice – According to the article, physicians interrupt their patients within 10 seconds of starting their visit.  The author recommends that you “practice telling your situation in that time.  Tell a beginning, middle and end, and don’t jump around.”  This is the best advice I have heard in years.  Often patients will jump from their headache, to their sprained ankle and then to their lifelong constipation all in a matter of 30 seconds.  Such behavior is the equivalent of vomiting their symptoms on the floor and is a mess to try to clean up!

Number 3 – Insist – “The most common form of diagnosis is no diagnosis at all.”  Yep, the author is right!  Many times, a diagnosis can’t be made at the first or second visit.  The author suggests, “Challenge your doctors to come up with something.”  She’s right; your doc should be able to give you at least the top three differential diagnoses and which he is leaning towards.

Number 4 – Trust your instincts- Again, the author is spot on when she writes, “you know your body better than anyone.”  Some of my most brilliant diagnoses have been made by believing my patient even when what he/she is telling me seems impossible.  However, remember that you are at least as open to misdiagnosing yourself as I am!

Diagnosing an illness is fraught with problems and risks.  When you work with your doc as his/her partner, you markedly increase the odds of a good outcome.  Diagnosing an illness is only the first step.  Formulating a treatment plan is the next step and, even more important, is activating that plan.  Remember, the life you save may be your own.

Dr. Segal blogs at www.livewellthy.org