Advocating for Yourself as a Patient According to Dr. Jessica Gray
Written by Melissa Schenkman, MPH, MSJ
Jessica Gray, MD, FAAFP, is a Family Medicine physician who practices in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the UMC Physicians Group. In caring for patients, she brings her passion for preventive care, health maintenance, and overall women’s health including mental healthcare.
When was the last time you stood up for yourself?
Maybe it was during a debate over the best direction to take a project at work, in a heated discussion with a family member over plans for a holiday dinner, or perhaps it was in relation to something far more critical, your health.
For millennials, advocating for your own healthcare, especially preventive care, is becoming more important every day as we navigate a healthcare system that often assumes we are “young and invincible,” and can be a complicated maze to get the appointments or tests we need.
By definition, the concept of patient self-advocacy is when a patient advocates for their own best interests in a healthcare setting, such as a doctor’s office or hospital, as they have discussions with their healthcare providers.
As one of those healthcare providers, fellow millennial and board-certified Family Medicine physician, Jessica Gray, MD, FAAFP, understands the role of patient self-advocacy firsthand. I talked with her about how she views patient self-advocacy amongst millennials in her practice as a key ingredient in the doctor-patient relationship that people frequently misunderstand.
YMyHealth: From your perspective, what does it mean to advocate for yourself as a patient at a doctor’s appointment?
Dr. Gray: Being an advocate for yourself means having open communication with your doctor and conveying to them the necessary information in order to give you the best care possible.
How to Advocate for Yourself at the Doctor
While this sometimes may seem intimidating, here are three easy techniques that can help you openly communicate with your doctor, not only making you be a part of the conversation but to truly be heard.
Make a list of your questions and concerns ahead of time and bring them with you to use at the appointment. This way you will remember to talk about everything you wanted to discuss.m
Get into the details. It will really help you and your doctor if you share the specifics about symptoms that you have been experiencing, such as what it feels like, how often it happens, how long it lasts, and if there is anything you do that makes it better or worse.
Build a good rapport with your doctor. Visit your same provider as much as possible for any medical concerns you have. Whether it’s for an annual checkup or a cold, seeing the same provider consistently, continually increases your doctor’s knowledge about you, establishes trust, and makes it easier for your own advocate.
YMyHealth: What would you say to a fellow millennial who is uncomfortable about/afraid of going to the doctor?
Dr. Gray: Your doctor went to school and had advanced training for many years to help you be successful. They are not in their profession to judge you as a patient.
The first step is to make the appointment. Go to the doctor with an open mind. Everyone needs to have, at minimum, a checkup once every year (even if you have no health issues that you know of and feel fine).
Staying on top of your healthcare when you are doing well is key to preventing disease in the future!
YMyHealth: What do you think patients most frequently misunderstand about the doctor-patient relationship?
Dr. Gray: The biggest challenge is the idea your doctor can ‘just fix you’.
Many times, in order to achieve true control of a medical condition, it requires both the doctor and the patient to work together. Yes, medications can be prescribed for diabetes mellitus, and your doctor can make recommendations on diet changes and weight-loss goals. But without investment from the patient, it is impossible to be successful.
Patients must understand they are forming a partnership with their physician rather than the physician simply providing a service to the patient.
The physician is not at work with the patient when the patient has to make a decision to not eat the donuts someone brought in that morning. The physician is not at the gym on the treadmill next to the patient encouraging them to finish out that workout. The physician is not sitting next to the patient when they are lighting up a cigarette.
As much as your physician wishes they could be there to remind you of their recommendations for your health, they can’t be, and it is the responsibility of the patient to put in the effort to make these changes as well.
Partnering for Patient Advocacy
If you have been waiting to make your doctor’s appointment, take the leap and advocate for yourself, fellow millennials. Same for those of you who have established doctors and have been putting off going for that all important prevention—whether that’s a physical exam and blood work, or a screening test.
The reality is our health is as much in our own hands—our willingness to eat healthy, exercise, and make the time for routine checkups and screenings—as it is in that of our doctors, physician assistants, and nurses. We need to make every effort to do our part in patient self-advocacy both for ourselves and the people who care for us.
Do not be intimidated by the white coat, the clinic, or our complicated healthcare system. Remember, your doctor is your partner in optimizing your health today and for years to come.
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