Sharing in Tough Decisions: Guidelines for Making Medical Choices

2.      Providing personal information to your healthcare team helps. Sharing your goals, aspirations, culture and responsibilities with your clinicians will help them know you as a person, and tailor therapy appropriate for you. Knowing that you work at night, for example, might impact what medicine is best for you or how it is dosed. If you hope to attend an event like a graduation or go on a long awaited vacation, your clinician can suggest ways to help you plan treatments. When your religious views impact what kind of treatments you are willing to receive (for instance, a Jehovah’s Witness may refuse blood transfusions), your clinician may be able to change the approach to a procedure or therapy accordingly. Admittedly, it may be hard to know what kinds of information to share.  And it can be difficult to interject during difficult conversations. Research shows that in discussions between clinicians and patients, clinicians do most of the talking. In a recent study of meetings involving clinicians and parents of critically ill newborns, doctors talked 65 percent of the time. While it may make sense for clinicians to take up much of the conversation, your personal information is equally as important.
 
3.      Knowledge is power. As you wade through the myriad of medical terms that many encounter during illness, your clinician can help. Here are some suggestions for ensuring you have the knowledge you need. If you hear a new term, ask for a definition or ask where you can find more information. The internet can also help provided you go to reputable sources like UpToDate or Medscape. After getting information, repeat it back and confirm with your clinician that you understand it correctly.