Health ministry of republic of moldova the university of medicine and pharmacy nicolae testemiţanu

- Become as knowledgeable as possible. 
Learning as much as 
possible about your heart condition is a simple matter of self-
preservation. Even under an ideal health care system (which, most 
assuredly, we don't have,) doctors won't always have the time or the 
inclination to discuss every important aspect of all your medical 
conditions. The more you teach yourself about those conditions, the 
better off you'll be. You'll be better able to interpret what your doctor is 

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saying, and you'll even be able to steer your discussions into the areas 
that are most pertinent to you. You'll have a better understanding of 
what your doctor thinks should be accomplished, and a better grasp of 
what you can do to help accomplish it. Knowledge allows you to beco-
me an active participant, rather that a passive one, in managing your 
health care.
 
– Take good care of yourself. 
It goes without saying that you will 
enjoy better health if you do all those things you know you should be 
doing, things like giving up tobacco, maintaining an ideal body weight, 
cutting down on saturated fats, and getting plenty of exercise. If your 
doctor has you on a particular medical regimen (such as taking 
prescription drugs), make sure you follow that regimen religiously. 
You gain direct health benefits from doing these things, as you well 
know. What you may not have realized, however, is the secondary gain 
you receive. By taking a genuine interest in trying to keep yourself 
healthy, you also endear yourself to your physician. You enlist him to 
your cause. Doctors should be engaged in the care of each of their 
patients, of course. That's what it is supposed to mean to be a doctor. 
But, they can't. They're under steady, unrelenting and overwhelming 
pressure to make the interests of their patients secondary to the interests 
of the HMO, of the government, and ultimately, of society at large. They 
simply cannot go to bat for all their patients. 
The many doctors who still maintain a strong sense of professional 
pride (the recalcitrants, the ones you have tried to choose for yourself) 
will still try to advocate for their patients, at least as circumstances 
allow. These, however, need to marshal their energies carefully. When 
they do go out on a limb for their patients, they are much more likely to 
do so for patients who are assiduously trying to help themselves. If the 
patient won't accept responsibility for his own health, it's not realistic to 
expect the doctor to jeopardize her career for the patient's health. 
– Set goals.
Before each doctor's appointment, set down in writing 
the specific goals you'd like to accomplish during that visit. Some goals 
will be fairly specific and straightforward ("Find out what my 
cholesterol level is."); others will be more open ended ("Any ideas why 
I'm tired all the time?"). But anything you want to accomplish during 
this visit should be listed as a goal. 
Write down your questions and comments. Under each goal, write 
down the questions you would like to have answered, or comments you 

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want to make, regarding that goal. Consider communicating with your 
doctor before the visit. 
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