Welcome to the how-to for more informed, active patients. From routine checkups to full-blown emergencies, how you communicate with health care professionals can have a huge impact on your happiness, health and quality of life. In extreme situations, knowing how to be prepared, get organized and deal with the health care system can be the difference between life and death.

This material is an overview of the complete How to Speak Doctor coursework. This preliminary material is here to help you understand the subject areas we've built to help patients work with their loved ones and health care professionals to get better health care outcomes.

 

Becoming an active patient

Active patients always get better outcomes than passive ones. They always have, many studies say.

Who is an active patient? Active patients ask questions when they don't understand. They participate with their doctors in choosing treatment. They follow their treatment plans or call the doctor if they encounter problems as they follow their care plans. Active patients search for information about symptoms or diagnoses when they need to know more. Just as important, an active patient knows how to find reliable health and medical information of many kinds.

It is more important than ever to be an active patient. If your patient style is passive, you're shortchanging yourself in terms of quality of care. How to Speak Doctor helps teach students to seek answers, seek help, seek second opinions, and use their instincts to get the most out of their medical minutes.

 

Finding a Doctor

How to Speak Doctor teaches you how to avoid the common mistakes that most people make when choosing a doctor. Using a combination of paper and personal checks, you'll get a fuller picture of your next potential doctor and obtain better care for yourself and your family. We'll show you how to find and use a select few by using the best resources available.

 

Managing your Doctor Visit

For too many of the patients who go to more than one billion doctor visits each year,* a doctor visit seems more like a blur than an appointment. One study reported that only 20 minutes after leaving an appointment, patients could not remember what their doctors advised them to do. Why go?

How to Speak Doctor teaches you the note-taking practices that help you focus before, during and after your visit. You'll know how to prepare for the visit, and end the visit knowing exactly what you are to do, when you should come back and why.

 

Getting the Best Diagnosis

Diagnosis. That one word can be a ride on an emotional roller coaster. Diagnoses run the range from acute and chronic illnesses to "We don't know what this is" -- the non-diagnosis diagnosis. How can you help your doctor evaluate your situation with the most accuracy? How do you organize yourself and your household to reduce the stress brought on by the search for a diagnosis? As an active partner in your health care, we'll give you the tips you need to cut through the fog, work with your health care professionals, and get maximum clarity from the diagnostic process.

 

Managing Emergencies

Quick. Who would you want with you when you need prompt or urgent medical attention? Someone you know would not lose it or freeze? Someone who would know when to call 911?

We'll show you how to be ready for health emergencies by organizing your information and preparing those around you. A patient with a plan and up-to-date, easy-to-find information improves their odds. How to Speak Doctor shows you how to be that patient.

 

Hospitalization

Because of advances in technology and technique, fewer patients than ever actually end up in hospitals. But the ones who do are usually sicker than before, with acute illnesses and chronic problems that combine to make a hospital stay more challenging.

Very few Americans actually understand what a hospital stay can demand of them and their family members -- admission, tests, procedures and recovery can seem overwhelming. We'll equip you with the knowledge of how hospitals work and prepare you to navigate this critical and complicated terrain.

 

Ready to become a smarter, healthier patient?

Register and get started now!

 

How to Speak Doctor includes:

• Detailed online coursework and instructions on each subject area: Finding a Doctor, Doctor Visits, Diagnosis, Emergencies and Hospitalization. Quizzes at the end of each section help you retain critical information.
• Online course review with resources you can download, including preparedness checklists for emergencies and beyond.