The Determined Patient: How to Be a Powerful Self-Advocate and Take Charge of Your Health

by Robert Danziger, Mary Gellens, Nancy Peske

Overview

Could You Be A Determined Patient?

You can access an extraordinary amount of information about health conditions on a smartphone while sitting in a doctor's waiting room, but do you know what you're looking for and how to make sense of everything? Too often, patients end up with incomplete knowledge, don't know what questions to ask their doctors, and are reluctant to be completely frank about what they're experiencing and what they need from their health care providers.

To address these challenges, Drs. Bob Danziger and Maggie Gellens wrote this practical guide for patients and caretakers. Two physicians with over 60 years combined experience in the world of medicine, Danziger and Gellens empower readers to:

·     Take charge of their health care

·     Navigate the complexities of the medical system

·     Partner effectively with their doctors

·     Become well informed, strong self-advocates

·     Achieve the best possible health outcomes

For more information, please visit www.determinedpatientbook.com.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780578341262
Publisher:	Kamoh Publishing
Publication date:	12/09/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	132
File size:	660 KB

About the Author

Robert S. Danziger, MD, MBA, is Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago, where he practices and teaches cardiology. He has also run a NIH-funded basic science laboratory studying heart failure and hypertension.
Mary E. Gellens, MD, is a nephrologist who has been a practicing physician and academic faculty member. She is currently the Senior Director of Medical Affairs at Baxter International, Inc., which provides innovative solutions for patients.
Nancy Peske is a writer, editor, and book publishing consultant specializing in nonfiction.

Editorial Reviews

2022-03-18
Two doctors guide patients in how to be their own health care advocates and navigate the dizzying world of medical treatment.

Danziger, a professor of medicine, pharmacology, and physiology at the University of Illinois Chicago, and Gellens, a medical director and nephrologist at Baxter Healthcare, offer this book as a starting point for novice patients seeking advice for interacting with members of the medical community. It’s also aimed at those looking to get a better understanding of their own health. At its heart is an emphasis on “partnering” with one’s doctor by being prepared for appointments, communicating honestly about symptoms, and clearly expressing when one doesn’t understand something: “Your doctor isn’t an authority figure to be obeyed by a compliant patient. Those days are over,” the authors say, stressing that “you need to be able to talk to your doctor about your health concerns and not fear that you’ll be belittled or dismissed.” The authors encourage patients to research their symptoms by using a hodgepodge of sources, including leading medical journals. However, they could have dedicated more space to the importance of sorting through such information with a critical eye. However, the authors do their best to help patients parse scientific journal language, and they dedicate a chapter to tips for understanding such articles. The book also gently reminds readers that doctors aren’t perfect—diagnoses and treatments can be influenced by specialist bias, a lack of experience, the constraints of one’s insurance network, or even corruption. It also points out that diagnoses are often trial-and-error processes and that few solutions come fast and easy. However, this guide does sometimes feel like an attempt to lighten the burden of blame that falls on medical doctors when diagnoses and treatments don’t work in a patient’s favor. The book also turns medical conditions into systematic puzzles while glossing over the emotional toll that chronic conditions can take. In addition, it underemphasizes the degree to which minority populations are disadvantaged in a health care system with demonstrably inequitable practices.

An unevenly executed but often empowering guide for taking control of one’s health care experience.

Kirkus Reviews