Have you or a loved one ever been admitted to the hospital and felt overwhelmed?

You or your loved one as the patient are given a bunch of forms to fill out and sign. It’s all about privacy protection, insurance information, release of information, etc. So much information given to you all at once and no one is explaining it.

Then there is the diagnostic testing. Lab draws, CT scans, MRI’s, the works. No one explained to you what all of these tests are for!

You never know when the doctor is going to come in and talk to you about what is going on. When you do see them, they start using all of this medical jargon. You pretend to listen because you don’t want to come off as “dumb” or “difficult”.

And of course, the nurse is now giving you medication either oral or IV. But you don’t really know what it is or what it is for. The doctor may have told you, but it happened so quickly and it was a bunch of medical jargon.

You feel like you are at the mercy of healthcare professionals, and hope they know what they are doing. Because you sure don’t.

As a patient or a loved one, it may feel like you have no control over your situation or the care you receive at the hospital.

If this sounds familiar to you, keep reading! I am going to talk about ways you can actually take charge of your treatment and care in the hospital setting. This applies if you are the patient, or if you are the primary caregiver of the patient.

Why it’s Important to be in Control of Your Hospital Treatment and Care

Being an active and involved member of your hospital care can help provide a better healthcare experience for you and/or your loved one.

Your hospital treatment team is not just made up of doctors, specialists, nurses, pharmacists and case managers. It also includes the patient. Yes, YOU or your loved one.

Patients who are more involved in their care and actively participate in decision making are more likely to follow through with their treatment plan. That’s because it is a treatment plan that the patient helped develop.

Helping to develop their own treatment plan leads to better health outcomes and getting better faster.

Additionally, when patients take an active role in their healthcare, they are more educated and informed about their diagnosis and treatment options.

Being well informed about the diagnosis and options helps patients make the best decisions for themselves. It also leads to better patient satisfaction.

Lastly, when you are paying attention to your care, or to your loved one’s care, you can help prevent medical mistakes.

Healthcare professionals are not perfect. Science is not always perfect. Especially when everyone’s body and health are so different. But having an extra pair of eyes paying attention to the decisions that are made, can help prevent mistakes.

So if you want the best outcome for your health and treatment, it’s important to be active in shared decision making.

Ways to be active in your hospital care

So how can you be involved in the shared decision making process? What can you do to be involved in developing your treatment plan? How can you take control of your healthcare?

Here are 5 ways that can help you be more involved in your hospital care to help you have a better hospital experience. And ultimately take control of your health and get better faster!

It’s important for you to speak up and ask questions if you don’t understand what is being explained to you, or what procedure or medication you are being offered.

Healthcare professionals sometimes forget that patients and families don’t know all of the medical jargon. I think sometimes as patients or loved ones we get overwhelmed with all of the information being thrown at us. Not only that, but I think people worry about feeling stupid or incompetent.

I’m here to tell you that asking questions, even asking the same question multiple times, does NOT make you dumb or incompetent.

Healthcare professionals went to school and specific training to be able to understand how the body works and what treatment options are best.

Sometimes the world of healthcare can feel foreign. It’s a whole other language. If you didn’t get specific education or training in that language, it isn’t reasonable to expect you to understand it.

So ask questions, ask them to repeat things to you if needed. It’s ok!

Mistakes are made. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are human. And they are expected to treat patients at a high volume.

To avoid mistakes, pay attention to the care you get. If the healthcare professional recommends a certain test or procedure, make sure it is the right one.

For example if the doctor had told you that you were supposed to get an x-ray done but the nurse takes you down to the MRI, question it. Speak up and ask why you are getting something different.

Also, make sure you are being asked for identifying information before you get any lab draws or receive medications. This will also help limit mistakes. Avoiding healthcare mistakes is not just up to the healthcare professionals, but up to you as the patient as well!

I always encourage patients to keep a little notebook or piece of paper near them. Sometimes all of the information you receive can be overwhelming. Writing it down can be a helpful way to review and process the information that was given to you. Taking the time to process the information will help you make the best decision for your healthcare.

You will likely have questions that pop up in your head as well at a later time. If you write them down as you think of the questions, you can make sure they are addressed by a healthcare professional.

Many people have questions later on, and the doctor or nurse may not be around that second to answer your questions. So writing them down can help you make sure everything is answered when someone is available.

Asking healthcare professionals for brochures and educational pamphlets about your care can help you better understand your options.

Educating yourself on medications, labs, treatments and procedures gives you the power to make well-informed decisions about your healthcare.

If Healthcare staff don’t have any pamphlets or brochures, ask them to write down the names of the procedures, labs and medications that are being discussed with you. That way you have the proper spelling and can also review them online in your own time.

We live in the age of information. We have the ability to educate ourselves on anything. You can look up any symptoms you may be having on google, and voila, you have possible answers!

This can be good and bad.

Researching your treatment options and diagnosis on google can absolutely inform you and paint a better picture for you.

But it’s also a tool that can be misleading.

It’s important to use the internet as a starting point. Giving you more education and understanding about possible diagnoses and treatments.

However, as much as we want it to, the internet cannot diagnose us accurately. We still need trained medical professionals who have the ability to obtain vitals, blood samples and imaging to help give an accurate diagnosis.

So use the internet to educate yourself on possibilities, but let the physicians give you the ultimate diagnosis. You and the physician can come up with a treatment plan together that will work for you.

Healthcare is more patient-centered driven these days. With you, the patient being at the center of all care, it only makes sense that you get to be part of the decision making process.

We call this “shared decision making”.

It’s important that you take an active role in your treatment plans. Discuss with your doctor and healthcare team your options for treatment as well as your concerns.

Ask for copies of your lab results and imaging. Ask them to review them with you if they haven’t already. You can ask them multiple times! Repetition is what helps us better understand things.

Don’t be afraid to ask for second opinion. If something doesn’t sit right with you, it’s ok to ask for someone else to look at your case and plan.

The more information you have, the more comfortable you will feel about the decisions being made.

If you haven’t already, make sure you complete Healthcare Advance Directives and a Living Will. This outlines your general preferences of your care. You and the doctor can also use it as a guide for your treatment plan.

Check out my post “Most Important Reasons You Should Have an Advance Directive” for more information on what these are.

If you are feeling like you have tried to participate in your healthcare decisions, but don’t feel heard, you can always ask for the Patient Advocate.

Every hospital has a Patient Advocacy department. They are responsible for ensuring patients have appropriate care and have effective communication with their healthcare team.

They are there to advocate for you and your concerns. You can ask your nurse, doctor, social worker, case manager, chaplain or anyone to see a Patient Advocate.

You are responsible for your life. You can’t keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction. Life is really about moving on.

-Opra winfrey

Your health is in YOUR hands. Not someone else’s. You can take control of your care by being involved in your healthcare decisions and actively participating in treatment  planning. The more involved you are, the more likely you will follow through on the treatment plan. And the more likely you are get better faster.

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