The Power of Informed Consent (Video)

Let’s kick this short lesson off with a mind-boggling statistic – according to a 2016 John Hopkins study, almost 10% of U.S. deaths yearly result from medical errors, making them the third leading cause of death. Not exactly reassuring, we know. But while you may not have control over every medical circumstance you find yourself in, you DO have complete power over one crucial aspect of it: your own consent.

Every time a doctor proposes a treatment or intervention, getting your consent to proceed with it is not just a checkbox. It’s a powerful ethical and legal obligation. But in order for your health care provider to fulfill that obligation, they need to do more than ask you to choose between yes or no. It’s also their  job to educate you about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of any proposed treatment.

However, although it’s the doctor’s job to lay out the risks and benefits, the responsibility for understanding what they tell you is not theirs.  That burden rests entirely on your own shoulders.

Let’s face it: unraveling the complexities of the human body is no walk in the park. But it’s a crucial step in making informed decisions about our health. Only with understanding can your consent be genuinely “informed.” Getting there often means asking lots of questions of your provider.  It can also involve some homework on your part. But the payoff for that investment is huge—nothing less than a longer and healthier life.

The best time to begin your journey towards understanding matters of health is long before the moment in your doctor’s office when you have to make a critical decision about a treatment. That’s because the more you understand about health and your body, and act on that understanding, the less likely you are to need medical treatment.

And the less treatment you need, the less time you’ll spend in doctors offices, clinics or hospitals.  And the more time you’ll have for family, friends, and fun.