|
Goal of making informed choices: keep the control where it belongs . . . in your hands.
Please click on the topics that interest you: Assume responsibility for making your choices. Look for sources of information that are credible and reliable. Ask questions about choices and options. Weigh the options; decide how the options or choices match your own goals and lifestyle. Do not feel pressured to accept or make a choice now. Remember that you have the option to change your mind with most health-related decisions.
Assume
responsibility for making your choices.
Thus maintaining control requires you to be the major decision maker. [Table of Contents | Top]
Look
for sources of information that are credible and reliable.
Decide if the provider of information has a vested interest in your choosing one option over another. If someone is encouraging you to make a choice that would benefit him or her, be wary. [Table of Contents | Top]
Ask questions about choices and options. [Table of Contents | Top] Weigh the options; decide how the options or choices match your own goals and lifestyle. Be realistic about what the options and treatments are likely to accomplish. Few health - related options are right for all people. Hope for the best but think about the possibility that there may be negative effects from your choice and consider this in your planning and decision-making. If an option requires major changes in your life and you are unwilling or unable to make those changes, the option may not be right for you. [Table of Contents | Top]
Do not feel pressured to accept or make a choice now. Very few health-related decisions need to be made immediately. Take time to obtain more information, think about the options, weigh pro’s and con’s, and then make a choice. Share your thoughts with your family or significant others. Talk over your concerns with your health care provider. [Table of Contents | Top] Remember that you have the option to change your mind with most health-related decisions. Few health-related decisions are fixed for all time. [Table of Contents | Top]
08/01/03 01:40 PM |