Life-Altering Treatment Decisions

08/11/08 Treatment Options

When patients with congestive heart failure are offered treatment options their physicians are often surprised at the results.

In a recent study, many patients opted for a better quality of life with riskier medications over more conservative treatment with longer life but limited activity. The small study was published in the July 28, 2008 in the Journal of Heart & Lung Transplantation.

Traditional treatments are changing. Instead of implicitly trusting physicians to make their treatment decisions, patients are taking charge of their own treatments. That changed for several reasons:

• We have become a litigious society and seek recompense when mistakes are made. Some physicians are involved in HMOs and may be under pressure to perform to standards. Others may be pressured to render the most economic care. It’s a quandary for some.
• Many patients have adopted a disdain for the authoritarian concept as well as having fallen into an adversarial relationship with physicians. Sadly, many patients view the medical community as pawns of the pharmaceutical industry.
• Trust in physicians is waning.
• Patients have come to enjoy their own empowerment.

The ultimate decision in treatment is yours, but you should speak with your physician about treatment options when it comes to heart disease or any other chronic or progressive disease. Learn what each medication benefit and side effect is. Patients have to decide if they are willing to suffer difficult breathing for an extended period of time and see their grandchildren grow up, or whether they want to be comfortable, enjoy their children and have an abbreviated life span. These are not easy decisions, but they are important and no one should make these decisions other than you.

Corie Richter is a nurse and physician's assistant who started her career as a health educator. The survivor of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and partially successful quadruple bypass surgery, she did not let her health challenges hamper her. Neither the limitations of spinal surgery nor of diabetes have deterred her from a mission of service. She now encourages others through writing and speaking engagements to master their disabilities through education and a proactive attitude.