Have a health advocate
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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Finding out from a doctor that you're seriously ill can send your mind reeling. So it can be hard to take in everything your doctor is telling you, hard to think about the follow-up questions you need to ask, and hard to remember it all. You can feel overwhelmed.
The director of HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or AHRQ, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, recommends you bring someone with you when you expect to get the news - a family member, friend, or trusted colleague, who can be your health advocate:
"An advocate can help ask questions, write down information, and get the resources the patient needs. This can be great support for the patient, and also help them understand their options." (12 seconds)
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.