"I
have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network.
Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and
I was in no way influenced by the company. "
As a
retired registered nurse, educator, and author of self-help books for my fellow
pain warriors, I am thrilled to say that fellow author, Leslie D. Michelson,
has done the patient community a great service by giving us “The Patient’s
Playbook: How to Save Your Life and the Lives of Those You Love”.
Aesthetically
appealing, easy to understand attorney, Leslie Michelson, expresses relatable accounts of patient
experiences, bringing it home to us as readers and patients. Using his 30 plus years of experience in the healthcare arena, he gives us “what to do’s” for nearly all healthcare decisions. We find tips for finding confidence and courage; asking questions; choosing the right doctor; working through the logistics of access, insurance, and cost;
exercising patient rights; developing a support team; carrying your entire
health history with you; utilizing resources, and much more.
The patient
stories allow us to make objective assessments and catalog them in
the file of “things to remember before, or when, it happens to me”, because in
today’s fragmented and rushed healthcare environment bad things can happen. As
the author suggests, hasty judgments, whether from the provider or the patient,
increase the likelihood of mistakes, complications, unnecessary interventions,
inappropriate referrals and other unwarranted occurrences.
I recently experienced the fall
out of hastened, fragmented care. My rheumatologist became my advocate and
ordered the blood tests I felt my symptoms warranted, despite the new
endocrinologist telling me my symptoms couldn’t be explained by my “numbers”
and to discuss my symptoms with another doctor. When my results came in, my
thyroid levels had swung from critical high to critical low in 7 weeks. Because
of stories like mine, finding a doctor who is a skilled diagnostician who
listens and cares about patients getting the care they need is imperative.
Leslie Michelson has the information you need to make that happen.
I love this subheading in
chapter six, “Forgetting Who’s in Charge. (Hint: It’s You.)”
Every patient is vulnerable
when illness strikes, despite the nature or urgency. As a nurse who cared for
people in the emergency department, I know patients and family members are at
their lowest point, they feel they have lost all control and their duress
interferes with their ability to think logically. Often, the nurse or doctor
must lead the patient or family member to give them the information they need.
But, this doesn’t always happen. The
Patient’s Playbook gives us
what we need to be in command, whether it’s finding a new doctor or being
hospitalized. It teaches us to be assertive, tolerant, proactive, and partners
in our care.
Lastly, a good self-help book
gives us, the reader, the ability to interact with the material on a
personal basis. The chapter summaries, “Quick Guides”, allow us to swiftly
review areas of the book that provide information we need under certain
circumstances. Even if you aren’t sick—right now—you can use the information
found in The
Patient’s Playbook to advocate for those you care about.
“By the time you finish reading
this book, you will have completely rethought the way you interact with
caregivers and hospitals.” ~ Leslie D. Michelson
Leslie Michelson,
J.D., “healthcare quarterback”, CEO of Private Health Management, says his book
is “A call to action to change the way we manage our health”, and that is
certainly motivation enough to read it. Please take a minute and visit ThePatientsPlayBook.com, “Look Inside the Book”
at Amazon and check out the “Table of Contents”, “Read
a Sample” at Barnes and Nobel. The paperback
will be released on Oct. 18. Amazon
You can also find Leslie on
Facebook at Leslie Michelson
@PatientsPlaybook.
In healing,,Celeste
~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
"Adversity is
only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."
~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
Celeste
Cooper, RN
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