Guide Overview

What I would like to do now is have you turn to Chapter 5 - “Medical Decisions.”

Use the “Key Questions Checklist” on page 36 and the “Medical Decision Comparison Chart” on page 37 when you need to make a medical decision. Photocopy these and check off the appropriate boxes on the copies instead of writing in your book. Let’s look at these now. Each summarizes the “Key Questions Checklist.”

Be assertive about your needs. Being accurate both when you report information to your doctor and when you record information from your doctor will help improve communication with him or her, minimize the time (and hopefully, the money) you will need to spend, and provide the best results in taking care of your health. After all, when 70% of correct diagnoses depend solely on what you tell your doctor, it is to your advantage to give him or her all the information you can and as accurately as possible.