Patient Hacker

Problems in healthcare occur when the patient or doctor (or both) don’t understand what is going on.

Being a patient is sometimes difficult, humbling and embarrassing. However, dealing with doctors can be easier, if you are a smart consumer. You can improve your healthcare, and get more out of your experience, by using smart strategies.

There is a lot of information available on the internet on “How to Be a Good Patient”. The articles seem eerily similar - health-care providers giving patient’s tips on how to behave in an appropriate manner. This advice seems, to me, more about the provider than the patient, “Behave like this and I will find you easier to deal with and therefore have more energy to sort out your problem.”

Healthcare doesn’t have to be oppositional. In fact, a doctor and patient should be acting as partners to reach a common goal. There are simple things that you can do to make sure you know what is going on and therefore be more in control. If you feel in control, you will be able to communicate more effectively with your doctor.

How Patient Hacker can help you

Patient Hacker is about making sure consumers understand what they need to do to achieve good healthcare. We will touch on strategies to help you:

• Find doctors that you trust and who understand you
• Find up to date information about your medical conditions, without trawling through potentially dodgy sites
• Get clear information from your doctor about what they are thinking and planning

and

• Understand the risks of health treatments, and why they are (often) worth taking

Please read through the blog and use the comments to participate in discussion. We would love to hear any strategies that have helped you develop a better partnership with your health carers.