Life is a journey till the very end. Your lifeboat is floating in the high seas. As its captain, take charge. Your health and happiness determine how smooth your voyage will be. You are also your own guardian and advocate. It is a duty and a personal responsibility. That means you become knowledgeable about personal health and wellness, and potential risk factors that can lead to illnesses and in general how to overcome them.
In a similar way, good healthcare just doesn’t happen; so too, your personal preparedness to make health decisions wisely. The larger your fund of knowledge, the greater your self-confidence and the better your basis to work with the care givers. These health care professionals play a very vital role. However, your physicians or other professionals can not replace the active role expected of you in your own care. Truly, it is a joint effort. Playing your part is the best way to ensure that your get the right care at the right time and at a reasonable cost.
Wise Health Decisions
Throughout our lives, we will be asked to make health decisions for us and sometimes members of our own family. These decisions that you will make affect your overall well-being and also the quality and cost of your care. When a health issue, real or suspected, arises, based on the assessment you make and with the knowledge you possess, you may be able to make a wise judgement as to whether the situation warrants seeking active care at a center or the problem is manageable at home after talking with a provider on the phone, or whether home remedies will work or no immediate attention is necessary.
Even though your primary care practitioners are the ones who have your health history and are familiar with your needs, you need to work along with them so you will be happier with the care received and the results achieved. The reason is simple. There are times when diagnoses and the merits of different treatment options are not crystal clear. If and when you can give your own version of intelligent input based on your study on such occasions, you are likely to feel better about the chosen approach and the results.
Most of us cherish some personal values—your beliefs, fears, your lifestyle and experiences. When we can combine the most reliable medical information with our values, we arrive at wise health decisions.
Getting Good Healthcare
Lately, complaints about the quality, timeliness and costs of healthcare services received are wide spread.
Getting good care involves many factors. Let us briefly review four things.
a) Do as much as you can about your own health yourself. Wellness begins with you. A healthy lifestyle is the key, that is eating a healthy and balanced diet, staying physically, mentally and socially active, getting recommended immunizations and wellness visits in a timely manner, managing stress, making safety a priority, not smoking and limiting alcohol
b) Ask for and insist on the care you need. Study the best treatments for your recommendations by experts in the field. You can discuss the reasons for your recommended treatment with your doctor. On occasions a second opinion is desirable if the recommended treatment is very costly or invasive; for example surgery vs. medical care.
c) Be bold to say “no” to the care when you are not convinced. Feel free to ask about the risk for waiting or choosing another approach, about the total costs or about health problem and sources where you can learn more about it and arrive at an informed decision.
d) Work closely and confidently with your health professional. You can get great care and
positive outcomes from it while also reducing costs if you can work out a strong
partnership with your healthcare providers. Believe that your caregiver is both a teacher
and a coach. Your compliance is key to success. Inquire about other options and the
pros and cons. Learn from your provider’s past experience with similar health issues
and how that compares with your outcomes. Let the doctor know that you care about
cost also, if you do. Another important facet in this joint venture is optimism in the care and the power of persuasion. As a patient you have to have a belief in the care and a faith in the quality and about the competence of the caregivers. When the care providers show their empathy and eagerness to care for their clients, positive outcomes result.
Today, becoming health-wise is a necessity like being able to drive a motor vehicle, operate your computer or cell phone.
Health is wealth. By becoming better informed about health related matters and better prepared to make wise health decisions, your life becomes less worrisome. You will also make savings with all your resources and live your life joyfully.
India International Health Foundation 