How to advocate for your health
We know that not everyone feels comfortable in a healthcare setting. You might have had experiences where you felt your concerns were not heard or addressed. It’s also common to feel nervous and forget what you wanted to ask about.
At M Health Fairview, we want you to get the healthcare you need and deserve. Our healthcare providers are encouraged to start each visit by asking what concerns you have. But if they forget to ask, you can tell them.
“We want you to help create your treatment plan and help determine what’s going to work for you,” said Anna Milz, MD, an M Health Fairview pediatrician. “In many cases, we can adjust the plan to make it work for you. What I’m hoping for is to partner together to get you to your best health.”
Milz and Taj Mustapha, MD, a practicing internist and pediatrician and the M Health Fairview chief equity strategy officer, have some suggestions for how to advocate for yourself in the clinic, so you get the care you need.
Be an active participant.
Your healthcare team brings its medical training and expertise, but you are the expert on you. Your doctor is going to try to diagnose the problem based on what you tell them and any tests they run.
“The more you can say about how you are feeling and what impact those feelings have had on your life, the more likely your doctor is going to be able to figure out what it is and do something about it,” Mustapha said.
Come with your questions.
When you come in for a primary care visit, ask about your most pressing concern right away. Even if you’re not sure whether it’s important, bring it up and let your doctor triage it for you. If you don’t mention any concerns, your provider might go down their own list of questions.
“For a 50-year-old woman, I may want to talk about breast cancer screening, colon cancer screening,” Mustapha said. “But if she has suddenly been having daily headaches for the past two weeks, I would want to know that at the very beginning of the appointment, because I would want to talk about that before we talk about cancer screening.”
Tell us what you need.
You can also tell your doctor if you have specific concerns. For example, if you don't have consistent access to a refrigerator, a medication that requires refrigeration won’t work for you. If you’re the primary caregiver for a toddler, a medicine that causes fatigue might not work for you.
Mustapha said that for some conditions, there are multiple treatment options – and often none of them are any better or worse. They’re just different. If you have preferences, voice them. Otherwise, the doctor may pick one based off their experience rather than what might work best for you.
“I may suggest an antibiotic that's once a day because I'm super busy and don't want to remember to take something more than once a day,” Mustapha said. “But my patient might not mind taking an antibiotic that is twice a day, especially if it has fewer side effects.”
Understand the plan.
If your provider is going over the treatment plan and it doesn’t sound like it will work for you, ask some questions, like:
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Can you tell me a little bit more about these tests?
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Can you help me understand what these medications will do?
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Can you go over this with me again, so I can explain it to my family?
“A lot of times we're sheepish because we've had that bad experience where we've asked a question, and someone treated us like we're dumb or dismissed our concern, but it’s always fair to ask,” Mustapha said. If you still don’t get an explanation, you could call back later and ask to speak to a nurse or send a message in My Chart and say I’m not understanding these parts of my treatment plan.
“If you’re concerned about the treatment plan, it's always OK to get another opinion from another provider and that might be one of my coworkers in the same clinic,” Milz said.
Bring a friend.
If it makes you more comfortable, bring a loved one to your appointment with you. They might be able to advocate on your behalf. They can also ask questions, take notes, or discuss the visit afterward. If your loved one can’t be there in person, you can call them. That way, they can listen to the care instructions.
Your loved one can also be an advocate for you. They might be able to tell the doctor details you’re not considering, such as “you’ve been so tired that you’ve started taking a midday nap.”
If you don’t have someone who can come with you, you can mention it to the staff. A nurse might be available to go over the care plan with you or a social worker could provide additional support.
Make sure you’re understood.
If you don’t feel like you’re being understood, you can repeat yourself and tell the healthcare provider what you need. For example, if you say your stomach hurts and your doctor replies, “well, you’re overweight.” You can provide more information. “Yes, but I’ve been this weight for a long time and the stomachache is new, so I don’t think they’re related.” Or, “it seems like you’re focused on my weight and not the symptoms I’m describing.”
If you still aren’t getting what you need, you can leave or ask to speak to someone else. If it’s a scheduled appointment, you will probably have to schedule another appointment with someone else.
“You, as a patient, have a right to feel like you're you are heard. If you aren’t heard, that is a valid reason to ask for another care provider,” Mustapha said.
If you still aren’t getting the care or the answers you need, contact patient relations.
