Hospital Navigation as an Active Patient
The hospital is a place where a lot of frustration and anxiety meet professional care. It is a place where an incredible amount of information is passed. In this query response, I want to focus on the patient’s role in dealing with the hospital situation. I suggest that the patient strive to be in a super-conscious state of mind. It is difficult for a patient to agree or disagree with a diagnosis, but the patient can be extremely alert when a doctor says what they are going to do.
One time, I was in a surgery room getting prepped for trigeminal nerve (brain) surgery. I was in intense pain. The doctor was reviewing the surgical procedures before I was anesthetized. When he said the surgery would be on the nerve leading to the right side of my jaw, I immediately was alarmed. This was because the pain and nerve went to the left side of my jaw. After the doctor checked, he said the right side was what was written on the report. He apologized and operated on the correct side.
I feel the best way for a patient to deal with the complex environment of a hospital is to be totally alert. I did not have to go to medical school to know the difference between right and left.
Marc Lerner, the author of “A Healthy Way to Be Sick” is President of Life Skills Institute, for 28 years he empowered patients to take an active role in healing. Go to http://lifeskillsinc.com to listen to 14 radio shows and how to download the e-book. The doctor/patient partnership is a powerful resource.

The hospital is a place where a lot of frustration and anxiety meet professional care. It is a place where an incredible amount of information is passed. In this query response, I want to focus on the patient’s role in dealing with the hospital situation. I suggest that the patient strive to be in a super-conscious state of mind. It is difficult for a patient to agree or disagree with a diagnosis, but the patient can be extremely alert when a doctor says what they are going to do.
One time, I was in a surgery room getting prepped for trigeminal nerve (brain) surgery. I was in intense pain. The doctor was reviewing the surgical procedures before I was anesthetized. When he said the surgery would be on the nerve leading to the right side of my jaw, I immediately was alarmed. This was because the pain and nerve went to the left side of my jaw. After the doctor checked, he said the right side was what was written on the report. He apologized and operated on the correct side.
I feel the best way for a patient to deal with the complex environment of a hospital is to be totally alert. I did not have to go to medical school to know the difference between right and left.
Marc Lerner, the author of “A Healthy Way to Be Sick” is President of Life Skills Institute, for 28 years he empowered patients to take an active role in healing. Go to http://lifeskillsinc.com to listen to 14 radio shows and how to download the e-book. The doctor/patient partnership is a powerful resource.