People at the center of care (individuals, caregivers, family networks, and healthcare professionals) crave knowledge to make sense of and make decisions about their health journey. We need information we can understand that’s relevant to us and our families. Unfortunately, it can seem dry like a desert or like drinking water from a firehose, often dirty water. It ranges from no useful information to a flood from friends, acquaintances, the media and health professionals. It’s bewildering. My first neurologist said, I know about medicines and procedures for populations. You are an individual. I need to learn about you, what’s important to you, test stuff to see what works, so we can decide what to do next. I say, what about acupuncture, massage, and diet. He says, I am not an expert in other treatments, but I can learn. Whoa! Now here’s a guy I can work with!!! What I learned was that there is very little science that is absolutely always true – We need to breathe clean air, drink plenty of clean water and eliminate regularly. Those are certain. Otherwise there’s uncertainty in almost everything. How do we understand, communicate, and manage uncertainty? Managing uncertainty is a magic lever for best health. Let’s keep exploring this lever.
Managing Uncertainty – A Magic Lever for Best Health
Thank you for an eloquent piece. “I know about medicines and procedures for populations. You are an individual. I need to learn about you, what’s important to you, test stuff to see what works, so we can decide what to do next.”
There actually is a way to manage the uncertain and replace it with a per patient care predictability, a predictability created by the patient themselves !!
see http://www.thisiswhatiwant.info and use it.
Yes, Danny–so succinct, clear and well-stated. You put words to what we all want and often don’t know how to say when in the presence of the doctor whom we yearn to trust and somehow can’t.
Danny, as always, very profound and true.