September 26th, 2011

In this article for the Wall Street Journal, two physicians who are also on the faculty of Harvard Medical School examine one method patients should be using in order to make better decisions about their healthcare.

Write Dr. Jerome Groopman and Dr. Pamela Hartzband:

“I’m comfortable with that,” or “No, it wouldn’t be comfortable for me.”

That’s what our patients often tell us when faced with a choice about taking a medication or undergoing a procedure. And the discussion usually stops there.

But what makes someone comfortable or uncomfortable with one treatment or another, or with no treatment at all? Where do these views come from? And how can patients make better decisions?

For answers, we spent four years interviewing scores of patients of different ages. We found that a host of powerful and often hidden influences, inside and outside the patient’s mind, can sway thinking and distort judgment. We also discovered that, by unmasking those influences, it is possible for patients to gain greater confidence and control over their medical decisions.

Consider the case of Susan Powell (not her real name), a nurse’s assistant now in her 50s. She had been healthy all her life, but when she turned 45, she decided to see a primary-care doctor. Susan ate healthy foods and was physically active, but she was a bit overweight, and her blood tests showed that she had high cholesterol. Her doctor prescribed a statin drug and asked her to come back in a month.

Read more about the doctors’ findings and recommendations, including the example of Susan Powell, at the Wall Street Journal.