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Fixing Problems Is Not Always Best
The second assumption is that fixing the problem is always the best choice.
Accepting Risks
An important piece of making health decisions is avoiding too much medical care. In the book Less Medicine More Health: 7 Assumptions that Drive Too Much Health Care [1], Dr. Gilbert Welch presents seven assumptions that drive not only healthcare, but also public policy. We will consider these assumptions and how this knowledge can avert overdiagnosis and provide meaningful care. The first assumption is that all risks can be lowered.
Avoiding Overdiagnosis
Knowing the kinds of questions to ask your healthcare provider can put you in the driver’s seat so that you can make informed decisions about your care.
In Pursuit of Reference Ranges
Reference ranges are important tools for clinicians to use to compare a patient’s test results against a certain standard and guide decisions
Risks of Healthcare System Overuse
Being familiar with health options and asking questions about the necessity of treatment is important to avoid overuse of the healthcare system and the risks that medical care can bring.
Facing Health Decisions
Facing health decisions can feel incredibly overwhelming and daunting at times. Your healthcare provider may deliver a copious amount of information. The news may not be what you expect. There may be pressure to agree to a certain procedure or medication. You may leave the appointment still having unanswered questions, with an uncertain path forward.
Informed decision-making: Be empowered!
Ethics are a moral code that guides the conduct of healthcare professionals. There is a duty to the patient to avoid or minimize harm, as well as respect patient preferences [1]. The four fundamental principles of ethics include beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and autonomy. In addition to these are veracity (truth-telling) and confidentiality. These pillars keep the patient at the forefront of care.
Medication Risk: Becoming an Informed Healthcare Consumer
Medication safety is paramount when considering one’s overall health. Many professional and federal organizations outline details on their websites (such as the FDA and CDC). The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) explains that with improvements in available therapeutics, there are corresponding risks
Part II: Informed Consent and Human Rights
You may ask yourself why informed consent is so important. Across history, people have been subjected to experimentation without their knowledge. Self-determination is the basic human right of freedom to choose. Without preserving this sacred right, the choice of one’s own medical decisions will be in jeopardy.
Part 1: Defining Informed Consent
Have you ever considered what the term “informed consent” means to you? Informed consent is a foundational component of patient care with the assertion that the patient has the right to make his/her own health decisions without external influence.