Medicine has advanced so much that patients often expect the most cutting edge treatment when they’re sick. They also expect that there may be side effects, like nausea and drowsiness. But what they don’t always expect are the side effects of lost time, money, and independence.
Health care has both physical and non-physical side effects and providers and patients should start considering the latter more explicitly in treatment planning. I recently wrote about this for STAT First Opinion:
A lot is asked of a patient when she signs up for medical care. She’s not just hoping to regain physical health, she’s also agreeing to lose money, time, and independence. Acknowledging this when deciding if treatment is worth it will lead to better overall well-being.
Read the whole piece here.
Research for this article was funded by Arnold Ventures.
