In an online exclusive for CureToday, journalist Jody Schoger tackles How to Talk to Your Doctor About What You Find on the Internet. "For cancer patients, the question isn't whether to go online for health information, but how to discuss information they’ve found with their oncologist."
When Schoger asked for my insights as a physician and survivor, I explained,
What’s essential about sharing any information with your doctor, whether it comes from PubMed [a database of medical abstracts and articles], a cereal box, a neighbor or the hospital library, is discovering how that information applies to you and your particular medical situation. Your doctor is the best person to interpret information in the context of your particular illness.
If you keep to yourself what you have learned, your physicians can't eliminate unfounded fears or protect you from avoidable risks.
The article offers six useful Tips for Discussing Research You’ve Found With Your Doctor, the last of which is to "Find a physician who you respect and can work with." In the end, healing clinician-patient bonds are based on mutual trust and respect that foster shared decision-making and shared care.
To read the entire article, click here.
Thank you for this very informational post. I've talked with my oncologist before about information I've found on the Internet, and we've had some very respectful discussions.
Posted by: Jan Baird Hasak | May 13, 2012 at 09:50 PM