All patient-doctor relationships require open and clear communication - Good communication can only occur when both sides speak and listen  from a common ground.

Patient education is important because it helps patients get well. It's always better to be active rather than passive in your treatment, and we encourage you as much as possible to take charge of your own fate.

Even though they may start at different places and approach things in different ways, both patients and doctors must understand each other at a fundamental level and meet in the middle to succeed. And, the path to the middle ground for patients can be greatly enhanced through education.

Effective communication requires a common language - Everyone has experienced the pain of being lost in medical jargon, but as with any language, knowing the basics can go a long way. A patient who takes the time to learn about their basic condition will greatly improve their comprehension of what is being said to them. By doing so, a patient can ask their doctor a straight forward, clear question in plain English instead of taking up hours of their time.

• Knowing the basics allows you to focus on the key issues - By understanding the basics of your disease and treatment options, the short time you have to spend with your doctor can be spent on the most important issues.

• Education is psychologically empowering - Being diagnosed with a disease can be a devastating psychological blow. Events can start to spin quickly out of control and feelings of being overwhelmed are extremely common. Educating yourself about the conditions is a way to bring some level of sanity and control back into the picture.

Having the disease is outside of your control, but responding to it is within your control.
Finally - in regards to psychological empowerment - education brings awareness of what to expect and leads to realistic expectations. Having realistic expectations as to how long recovery will take, whether symptoms will persist, etc. can improve the patient experience overall. I - quite naively - thought that the whole experience would be like recovering from a sports injury. My unrealistic expectations led to a lot of frustration in the time just after surgery.

• By educating yourself, you are in a position to educate others - By educating yourself, you are in a position to raise awareness among the medical community and the general public. As awareness grows, the number of people who go years without a proper diagnosis will hopefully drop proportionately.

We are committed to providing our patients with the best quality of care and patient education resources. To learn more about the conditions and diseases that we treat and procedures we perform please contact one of our staff to learn more details.