The Physician's and Patient's Perspective

In order to get the best health care possible, you need to learn how to be your own patient advocate. One critical part of being a wise patient advocate is to build a partnership with your doctor. One of the key skills in building that partnership is being able to communicate with your doctor on medical issues. You need to develop a common language with your doctor so you can honestly and candidly discuss his recommendations to you. The day is long gone when the doctor-patient relationship was based on the doctor telling the patient what the diagnosis was and what the treatment plan was, and the patient accepting everything without question.