The new Institute of Medicine report, “Improving Diagnosis in Health Care,” offers these suggestions for patients:
— Be clear, complete, and accurate when you tell your clinician about your illness. When did your symptoms start? What made them better or worse? Write down notes and bring them with you to your appointment.
— Remember which treatments you’ve tried in the past, if they helped, and what, if any, side effects you had.
— Keep your own records of test results, referrals and hospital admissions and an accurate list of your medications. Bring the list with you to the doctor’s office or pharmacy.
— Ask these three questions at your appointment: What could be causing my problem? What else could it be? When will I get my test results, and what should I do to follow up?
— Ask what to expect from any treatment and what you should do if you get new symptoms or start to feel worse.
— Don’t be afraid to ask, “What else could this be?” and encourage your clinicians to think about other possible reasons for your illness.
