By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    TBI: Some Surprising Statistics
    February 9, 2016
    Your Keys to Safer, Even More Secure Healthcare Cloud Services
    January 13, 2015
    4 Career Options in Healthcare Industry that Combine Big Data & Healthcare
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Why Patients Need to Become Experts !
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Why Patients Need to Become Experts !
Public Health

Why Patients Need to Become Experts !

malpani
malpani
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

I saw a very interesting patient today. She’d been referred to me by a gynecological oncologist who had made a diagnosis of early endometrial adenocarcinoma and had sent her to me because she wanted to find out what her reproductive options were. This was a young 24-year-old woman with polycystic ovarian disease who had just got married six months ago. She had gone to a doctor for an evaluation because she had heavy menstrual periods and the doctor found she had a uterine polyp , which is why she performed a hysteroscopy .

I saw a very interesting patient today. She’d been referred to me by a gynecological oncologist who had made a diagnosis of early endometrial adenocarcinoma and had sent her to me because she wanted to find out what her reproductive options were. This was a young 24-year-old woman with polycystic ovarian disease who had just got married six months ago. She had gone to a doctor for an evaluation because she had heavy menstrual periods and the doctor found she had a uterine polyp , which is why she performed a hysteroscopy . Much to her dismay , when the histopathology report came back , it showed she had complex hyperplasia with atypia with early endometrial adenocarcinoma .

Further evaluation showed this was a localized cancer with no invasion , and she wanted to know whether it was possible for her to conserve her uterus because she wanted to complete her family. Now the standard advice in this situation is to go ahead and do a hysterectomy. This is what most doctors would advise because it is actually much safer for them. For one , it’s standard medical advice. After all , when you have cancer , you remove it – who can argue with that ? For another, it actually helps to protect the doctor ! In case the doctor does not advice surgery and then the cancer spreads , the patient may come back and sue the doctor for not advising surgery in the first place. This is why many doctors are quite reluctant to advise nonstandard approaches – because of the fear of being sued.

My approach was simple. I told the patient you are going to have to become an expert on your problem. Not only will you have to learn a lot about endometrial adenocarcinoma and its treatment options , you are going to have to learn about polycystic ovarian disease and fertility and infertility and IVF as well. The trouble is that I’m an IVF specialist and don’t know much about endometrial cancer – whereas your gynecological oncologist knows a lot about the endometrial cancer , but may not know much about IVF , which is why you need to inform and educate yourself. Not only do you need to understand the alternatives and options , you also need to provide your own personal preferences and inputs so that you make a decision you’re comfortable with.

More Read

ZocDoc – Healthcare Answers & Appointments Made Easy
IT Helps Smooth Transitions of Care
Government Using Social Media to Track Health Behaviors
Improving Patient Experience With Personalized Service
Talking Healthcare with Don Berwick, Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts

The outcome for any treatment is always going to be uncertain , and you don’t want to beat up on yourself later on that you made a decision without having all the right inputs. Patients need to make a decision matrix of what their options are and then think through their personal preferences, so they can come to a conclusion which they comfortable with. It’s very helpful to document this in writing , so that patients can systematically walk their way through all the steps . Their doctor also is protected , because he can document that he’s explained the pros and cons ; and the patient has provided informed consent before making a decision which may have outcomes , some of which are likely to be unfavorable to the patient.

Unfortunately, few doctors in India take this approach. Most of them prefer being paternalistic – their approach is that patients come to us with their problems because we are the experts ; and it’s our job to provide solutions ! They will often provide just one simple solution with a black-and-white approach and then tell the patient – You can either accept this solution if you want to come to me ; and if not, you can find another doctor and go somewhere else. While this is a straightforward approach and something which works well for some doctors , it is not one which I’m comfortable with myself because it doesn’t allow the patient to play any role at all in such a complex decision-making process which will affect the rest of her life !

TAGGED:ePatientInformation Therapy
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

mobile health for women
eHealthGlobal HealthcareHome HealthMobile HealthPolicy & LawPublic HealthTechnology

Threatened by Domestic Violence? There’s an App for That

November 22, 2013
5 Tips for Reducing Medical Malpractice Exposure
Health carePublic Health

5 Tips for Reducing Medical Malpractice Exposure

August 11, 2018
Right Medicare Supplement Plan
Health carePublic Health

What If You Need Emergency Care and Don’t Have Insurance?

February 15, 2022

Sitting Causes Cancer!

January 24, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?