Most people don’t hesitate to advocate for the kind of quality service they expect when shopping or dining out. But when it comes to having conversations with their doctors about the quality of lives we want for ourselves, it can be a bit trickier. Some people don’t know what questions to ask. Some people don’t understand how certain treatments might affect their quality of life.
“Ideas like patient preference and quality of life tend to get linked to end-of-life care, but health care providers want to move the conversation upstream,” said Phyllis Hayes-Reams, MD, chief of the department of geriatrics for The Southern California Permanente Medical Group.
Dr. Hayes-Reams was recently featured in Next Avenue where she provided tips on having a productive conversation with your health care provider.
“Most physicians would welcome the opportunity to know what’s important to the patient, because it gives them some guidance,” she said.
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