Partnering With Your Doctor on Medical Decisions

Your health and body are very delicate. It would be best if you never made medication decisions on your own. Always seek your doctor’s opinion; they know better. Please discuss with your doctor and let them prescribe what will suit your condition and body.

As a patient, you have the right to understand any prescription or diagnosis made by a doctor for you. You should ask your doctor to explain why they prescribed the selected medication for you, how it works, and its carefully reviewed side effects. Some medications can even lead to hair loss, an unpleasant thought for any patient.

 In case of a diagnosis, the doctor should explain how he was able to conclude the said disease. Below are some things you should ask and discuss with your doctor.

What Kind of Medical Decisions are There?

Some medical conditions require serious decision-making. For instance, an infection may lead to considering amputation of the affected body part. Another one is when during pregnancy, termination is considered since the mother’s life is at risk. Sometimes there may be conditions that require surgery to save the patient’s life. Discuss at length with your doctor before deciding. They may have a better solution, so speak up. Here are a few other medical decisions that you can make:

• Talk with your doctor in-depth and explore all options
• The impact of your health care decisions
• The right to ask for a second opinion
• Draft an advance care directive with the help of your doctor explaining the treatment you want in future

What Do I Need to Know to Make Informed Medical Decisions?

Although patients can make decisions concerning their bodies and health, there are many things they may not know. Things like the permanent effects of medicine or a procedure, the cost, the functioning of body parts after treatment, and care required after the treatment are some things a patient should be informed about before deciding.

Are Alternative Treatments Available?

Despite the nature of your health condition, there has to be more than one choice of medication to treat the disease. Your doctor should let you know if alternative treatments exist and advise you on which one is best for your situation. Be sure to ask questions for clarity. For instance, not all diseases require the patient to undergo surgery; some can be solved with therapy.

The Experts at Southeast Pain and Spine Care Can Help

Do not accept a life of pain. There are ways to solve it. Southeast Pain and Spine Care focuses on interventional pain procedures since many chronic conditions can be treated with therapies, such as nerve block and medication. If you are looking for a specialist, fill out the form and contact us to make an appointment and get more information about us.