How To Be A Successful Patient: Young Doctors Offer Some Advice

I am proud to be a part of the American Resident Project, an initiative that promotes the writing of medical students, residents, and new physicians as they explore ideas for transforming American health care delivery.  I recently had the opportunity to interview three of the writing fellows about how to help patients take control of their health. Dr. Marissa Camilon (MC) is an emergency medicine resident at LA County USC Medical Center, Dr. Craig Chen (CC) is an anesthesiology resident at Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, and Dr. Elaine Khoong (EK) is a resident in internal medicine at San Francisco General Hospital. Here’s what they had to say: 1. How would you characterize the patients who are most successful at “taking charge of their health?” MC: They are usually the the patients who aren’t afraid to ask questions about everything- possible treatments, pathology, risk factors. EK: I think there are several traits that make patients successful at modifying their health: 1) Understanding of their disease: patients need to understand how their actions impact their health and be able to clearly identify the steps they need to take to achieve their desired health. 2) Possessing an internal locus of control: patients need to feel that their health is actually in their control. Oftentimes, patients who come from families that have a history of chronic diseases simply assume certain diseases may be their fate. But in reality, there are things that can be ...
Source: Better Health - Category: American Health Authors: Tags: Expert Interviews Health Tips Apps Empowered Patients EMR Health Outcomes Mobile Health Poverty Texting The American Resident Project Source Type: blogs