Back in the day, when you had a medical question, you looked to your doctor for answers. These days, there is more medical information available than you can shake a mouse at, most of which can be found online. It informs and educates to the extent that it’s accurate, reliable and understood. But the specific information you find has a great deal to do with how you search for it.
Your doctor can’t know everything either, but his or her education, training, and experience help serve as a lens through which information is brought into focus and perspective.
Commonly discussed topics of medical care in many practices include prescribing antibiotics and ordering MRI’s.
As we all know but sometimes forget, antibiotics will not cure all infections and MRI’s are not always the best imaging studies. But when a patient comes to see their doctor assuming that one of these will be provided based on information they have gathered, unmet expectations may be lurking up ahead. There’s nothing wrong with being prepared. It’s great to read and learn about new things, but allow yourself to remain flexible and open-minded. The most important tools you can bring to your doctor’s office are questions. That way, your doctor can help complete your information “search” and offer answers you can trust.
