Do you understand what your doctor tells you about fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS or ME/CFS), or other health issues? It can be tough - doctors use their own, complex, specialized language for things, and many of them seem forget that we haven't all been to medical school.
When doctors use jargon, they make an assumption (often unconsciously) that you have a high level of what's being called "health literacy," which means that you understand medical terms, your diagnoses, their implications to your health, and how to manage them at home. Often, we're too embarrassed to ask for clarification, or we don't want to "impose" on the doctor.
The implications of these miscommunications can be dire - a recent study shows that they made elderly patients nearly twice as likely to die. For those of us without potentially fatal conditions, they could be the difference between being functional and incapacitated.
So what can you do?
- Ask your doctor to clarify terms that you don't understand. If you have brain fog, take a notebook so you can write down questions that come to mind while your doctor is speaking.
- Ask for written instructions and look them over carefully before leaving to be sure they're clear.
- Educate yourself about your conditions so you're more likely to understand medical terminology. To get started, see A Simple Understanding of Fibromyalgia, Making Sense of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and the FMS & ME/CFS Glossary.
More helpful information is available from Speak Up, a national campaign from The Joint Commission aimed at improving doctor-patient communications.
Have you had problems because you didn't understand your doctor? What steps do you take to make sure you understand instructions? What has helped you and your doctor communicate more effectively with each other? Share your experiences by leaving a comment below!
Suggested Reading:
- Find a Fibromyalgia Doctor
- Find a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Doctor
- Get More From Your Doctor's Appointments
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Wow, what a coincidence – I guess this topic is on a lot of folks’ minds. I just wrote about this issue myself over at my site.
I like the suggestion (which I omitted, but will certainly update to include) of asking for written instructions.
And thanks for the link to Speak Up – that’s a great resource. Now, if we can just get some of these doctors to tone down the arrogance …. !
I worked with doctors as a medical secretary and transcriptionist for over 20 years. While I had the utmost respect for them, I also saw them as human beings like myself. So, I’m never afraid to ask questions at a doctor visit.
If you have a doctor who isn’t open to your questions or ideas, then it’s time to find a new doctor.
Something I just read in some of the books that I checked out on this subject one thing it said is to repeat back the instructions that you were just given including after getting a printed copy. This can often help to make sure that you and your doctor are on the same page.