一些看医生时该问的问题（Some suggested questions to ask the doctor at a checkup）:
• 我的诊断是什么（What is my diagnosis）?
• 我的治疗方案有几种（What are my treatment options）? 每个方案的好处是什么（What are the benefits of each option）? 有什么副作用（What are the side effects）?
• 我将需要什么化验（Will I need a test）? 这个化验是查什么的（What is the test for）? 化验结果将会告诉我什么（What will the results tell me）?
• 你开的处方药有什么作用（What will the medicine you are prescribing do）? 我将如何用这药（How do I take it）? 有什么副作用吗（Are there any side effects）?
• 我为什么需要做外科手术（Why do I need surgery）? 还有其他方法可以来治疗我的状况吗（Are there other ways to treat my condition）? 你常做这样的手术吗（How often do you perform this surgery）?
• 我必须改变我的日常习惯吗（Do I need to change my daily routine）?
People often fail to ask their doctors questions that could lead to fewer medical errors and better outcomes—and doctors don't routinely encourage them to do so. That's despite years of efforts to improve doctor-patient communication.
Part of the problem is the intimidation factor that comes with the doctor's white coat. Also to blame are mounting time pressures that mean less physician or nurse interaction with patients, according to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
On Tuesday, the agency is launching a new campaign to promote a solution that seems obvious but often doesn't happen: getting patients to ask questions. The aim is to get patients to prioritize their top concerns and questions before a medical encounter—and to get doctors to prompt patient questions in order to provide better care. "Americans want more time with their doctors, but what hasn't sunk in is the importance of using the time you have with your doctor wisely," says Carolyn Clancy, the agency's director.
Even though he had suffered multiple heart attacks and struggled with congestive heart failure and diabetes, Bill Lee never had much of a dialogue with his doctors. "Doctors are the experts, so who was I to challenge them and what they were telling me?" says Mr. Lee, 55 years old, who is featured in a video that is part of the new campaign.
He took medications without asking what they were for, sat for hours in waiting rooms and then felt rushed through appointments. It wasn't until a doctor told him he would keep having heart attacks and there was nothing more to be done that he says he realized he needed to start asking questions about his care.
For consumers, the agency is offering new online tools on its website, including an interactive "Question Builder." Patients talking to the doctor about a proposed surgery, for example, are prompted to ask how long it will take to recover. The site offers tips on what to do before, during and after medical visits, such as calling the doctor if there are any side effects. Videos feature doctors discussing the importance of preparing for medical visits with a prioritized list of questions. Patients talk about how asking questions helped them get better care.
Also, the agency is launching its first ad campaign targeting doctors, with donated space in publications, including the New England Journal of Medicine, that reach two million clinicians. The ads urge doctors to ask patients about their health priorities, because "a simple question can reveal as much as a test." Doctors can also print or order free forms to help patients prioritize their top three questions.
Mr. Lee, who manages a database for the state of Maryland, had his first of 10 heart attacks in 2004, with three in the first year alone. He says he believes he would be dead today if he had accepted the prognosis of the doctor who told him there was nothing more to be done. He ended up at the University of Maryland Medical Center in 2007, where he has survived three more heart attacks and is cared for by a team that includes a cardiologist and a nurse practitioner.
Mr. Lee says he began preparing a list of the most important questions for each medical visit. When he was placed on a more aggressive course of medications to help strengthen his heart—he takes 21 pills in the morning and 19 at night—he asked what each was for, how it worked and whether he would have to take the drug for the rest of his life.
Because his cholesterol was at a good level, he asked why he needed a cholesterol-lowering drug. His doctor explained it was an important therapy for patients after heart attacks, so he agreed to take it and read the information he was provided. "In the past I probably would have just said, 'OK, fine,' and I wouldn't read the pamphlet," Mr. Lee says. "Now I realize this is my body, and if I don't ask what I need to know, nobody's going to fill me in."
Erika Feller, his cardiologist and medical director of the heart-transplant unit at the hospital, says Mr. Lee was a possible candidate for a transplant at one point, "but due to his hard work and our hard work he's been able to avoid that and stay out of the hospital." She acknowledges that time constraints are an issue and physicians aren't always great at translating medical issues for patients, particularly when they have to manage complex regimens such as Mr. Lee's. The hospital administers self-tests to patients to make sure they understand things like their diagnosis and their medications.
Of course, patients may feel intimidated asking medical professionals tough questions, especially if the response is brusque or even chilly. And it's usually more effective to ask questions politely, rather than in a contentious way. "Bill isn't shy but he's not a pain in the neck. He asks great questions and he is always appropriate," says Jane Kapustin, the nurse practitioner who treats Mr. Lee's diabetes.
The Wall Street Journal
The Informed Patient
- By Laura Landro Tuesday, September 20, 2011
