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This week's topic has suggestions for how to keep track of all the information you are collecting. Whether you like paper-based or digital information storage, keep these ideas in mind to help reign in the sometimes overwhelming amount of data.

Step 4: Record-Keeping!

One of the most important things you can do as a patient or patient advocate is to keep notes. Write down symptoms, questions, and any information you may want to share with your caregiver. It is easy to think in the moment that you will remember what is said and remember what you want to ask and even remember all the information about your recent symptoms so you can answer the doctor’s questions.The truth is, however, that the visits and the concern are more stressful than we may know and it is very difficult to remember all that you need to remember.  Here are some helpful tips to get you started.

The VA's 5 Star ratings system was phased out this past December to make way for a new approach. The new ratings and comparison system intends to make it easier for prospective patients to compare VA facilities with other healthcare facilities in their area, something that was difficult with the previous system. Today's post will look at the new VA Hospital Compare.

 

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Our series continues with a step that helps you take action as you become a more empowered patient. While health insurance and other factors set certain limits on your choices, the more you know about your healthcare options in advance, the better. 

Step 3: Action!

In many cases, you decide what doctor you go to, what hospital you check into, and even what treatment you receive. There are few things you can do to help you make better choices.

As winter settles in, communities across the country begin their preparations for snowfall and ice. Rather than deal with the drifts and icy patches after they are already in place, many of us prepare for this inevitability by putting down salt and sand, setting up car tents, and even installing heated driveway and walkway systems. The blizzards inevitably come - they are an inescapable part of nature, after all - but the impact they have on us is lessened. Strenuous snow shoveling is reduced, dangerous falls are avoided, and cars back out of driveways safely. Preparation is essential for a safer winter. What can we learn from this seasonal preparation when it comes to another environmental threat: Hospital acquired infections?

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This week we continue our series on our New Year's resolution: Becoming a more empowered patient! This step provides some guidelines to help make the most of our information-gathering.

Step 2: Research!

One of the first things any of us do when we encounter illness is to Google it. A study showed that one in three  (35%) American adults have used the Internet to "diagnose" a medical condition. Even our doctors warn us not to research "too much." It's not that they don't want us to be informed; it's just that the Internet is full of every kind of information, from baseless opinion to peer-reviewed data alongside an entire spectrum of possible diagnoses, prognosis, and symptoms. We have to be careful about our research and approach it more strategically..

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Happy New Year!  Among our list of new year's resolutions, this one is going on top: Becoming more empowered patients. In today's healthcare settings, the patient can and should play a critical role in healing, if she or he is informed, assertive, and supported.

At no other time in history has the patient had access to the amount of information about illness, had the legal and societal (and financial) rights to determine healthcare choices, and access to widespread availability of cutting edge technology and expert care. This January you will find the steps you can take to become more empowered, either as a patient yourself, or as a patient advocate.