Question your Doctor About Hypertension, but still trust them.

There is a wealth of information available to consumers that is changing the way people approach their family doctors and specialists.   Quite often patients come into the clinic with pre-conceived notions as to what treatment they should be receiving.   While involvement in and responsibility for your own health is highly encouraged, not hearing what is expected does not mean the doctor is out to lunch or out to get you.

Where is this all coming from you may ask?   A recent article published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners highlighted the scenario where distrust of healthcare professionals impedes effective treatment . The patient population examined in this article were those with high blood pressure.

Question your Doctor, but still trust them.

Some of the issues the patients believed contributed to their distrust were those of race-related treatment plans, longevity of the treatment, severity of the disease even in absence of symptoms, and belief of what the treatment should be.

These are genuine concerns and should be discussed with the doctor.   If the patient is not fully confident that the treatment plan or diagnosis is accurate, that is the time to request a second opinion.   However, the need for long-term treatment, especially in hypertension, makes it imperative that patients and professionals work together to develop a treatment plan that is effective and works.