What Aren ’ t You Telling Your Doctor?

“A Stethoscope Is Not A Mind Reading Device!” Most patients withhold vital information from their doctors according to a study recently released in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Even when people understand how important it is to share critical information about medications, lifestyle, and symptoms, most people in the study survey didn’t tell their doctors about at least one of the seven types of important information including: They disagree with the doctor’s recommendation They don’t understand the doctor’s instructions They aren’t taking the medications the doctor prescribed (or aren’t taking it as instructed) What other medications they are taking (deliberately not mentioning the medication) Whether they take a medication prescribed for someone else They aren’t exercising They have a poor diet Why are patients keeping doctors in the dark? The vast majority of patients didn’t share information with their doctor because they did not want to be judged. This is understandable. None of us wants to be lectured about our diet or told to be more active, even though we know both of those things are important to our health.  Many people don’t want to know how harmful their choices are to their health. I think, however, there is something more important at play. Most of us don’t feel comfortable telling doctors we disagree with them.  Unfortunately, we can only get the best treatment when w...
Source: Embrace Your Heart Wellness Initiative - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs