Self Centered?

So often we are told not to talk about ourselves.  When we were little we might have been told that we were to be seen and not heard;  that listening was better than speaking; and we shouldn't question authority.

That's all fine and good - except when you are a patient or caregiver.  The office visits of today look much different that in the past because you are in the power position.. It all comes down to what you want in your health journey.  While this is not to say that all decisions have consequences.  Some good, some bad, but it's up to you to make those choices. 

Being self centered in your health journey is absolutely not a bad thing.  Fortunately care providers are also moving in this direction.  In an article by the Patient Empowerment Network,  Dr Ronald Epstein, MD and Dr Richard Street, PhD characterize Patient Centered Care Approach as one in which “patients are known as persons in the context of their own social worlds, listened to, informed, respected, and involved in their care.”

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Providing care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions, was recognized as a dimension of high-quality health care in the 2001 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Crossing The Quality Chasm; An New Health System for The 21st Century as one of six quality aims for improving care.
Respect for patients values, preferences and expressed needs
A fundamental tenet of person-centered care concerns putting people and their families at the center of clinical decisions. Each patient brings his/her own unique preferences, concerns and expectations to a clinical encounter and these values should be integrated into decisions if they are to serve the patient. Patients have a right to be part of the decision making process. This is best achieved through the model of shared decision making, the conversation that happens between a patient and their health professional to reach a healthcare choice together.

At the very heart of shared decision making is the recognition that healthcare providers and patients bring different but equally important forms of expertise to the decision-making process. Patients and their families will bring their experience of living with a disease, their social circumstances and preferences. This is particularly relevant in chronic health conditions where the patient may have many years of experience of their symptoms and responses to treatments."

Living with a chronic illness can be challenging.  At times you may not have the energy to challenge or question the information being presented to you.  That's ok.  Taking the time to review the information on your own time also is being your best ambassador.  And that's what's it's all about.

To your most Self-Centered Healthy Self!