Cautious Care: A Guide For Patients [Paperback]

Carolyn Oliver M.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 2008

Without your knowledge, your medical care can be both dangerous and inadequate. Dr. Oliver reveals behind-the-scenes issues that will alarm you; but she will also give you the tools to get the good care that you deserve. -- There has yet to be a tell-it-like-it-is book on what goes on inside of medicine and how to avoid the pitfalls---but this is it. You'll get practical strategies you can use to stay healthy and stay out of harm's way. -- Are your concerns unheard or dismissed by your doctor? Has your doctor ever given you an "it's-all-in-your-head" diagnosis? Dr. Oliver will give you strategies to handle those situations. -- Are you sure your treatment is correct and up-to-date? Could you be mismanaged or misdiagnosed? Dr. Oliver will tell you how to find out, and then what to do next. -- Do you know what your most important asset is for getting good medical care? She'll tell you. -- Do doctors always have your best interests at heart? Maybe not, so you'll need to use some strategies to get the care you need.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carolyn Oliver, M.D., J.D., has practiced medicine since 1977. Her unique insider vantage point in seeing what really happens to patients in the healthcare system has spurred her to advocate for better care. She founded Patient Always First; is Executive Producer of Misdiagnosed; has recommended and funded several Texas Medical Association Foundation programs that address quality and ethical concerns in medicine; is founder of the University of Texas Medical Branch's Oliver Center for Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare; offers a free online personal health record through Patient Always First at www.pfhr.org; founded Cautious Patient; and offers advice on healthcare at www.DocOliver.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (December 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440418675
• ISBN-13: 978-1440418679
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,000,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Doctor and Patient Responsibility, January 22, 2009

By 

Lynn A. Schriber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cautious Care: A Guide For Patients (Paperback)

I devoured this book. I felt engaged from start to finish. I learned so much about what I should expect from my doctors' care.
I never thought that talking to my doctor when he or she was not in the office might hinder their ability to understand the severity of my symptoms. By not be able to see me in person, they wouldn't be able to read my expression or have my chart at their disposal.
Dr. Oliver brought to my attention that a loved one should never be left alone in the hospital. Mistakes can be made and an interested party can stand quietly out of the way, yet be there as another check and balance. The statistics of errors made in hospitals are staggering.
The book urges all of us to create a Patient Health Record and I was so inspired when completing the book that I immediately completed mine.
I found that Cautious Care was written for me and anyone who wants to take care and get the most from an interactive relationship with the doctors that we trust our lives to.
Thankyou Dr. Oliver, you have changed the way I will look at medical care and my responsibility in it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pushing the PHR, May 14, 2009

By 

Fred C. Trotter "Fred Trotter" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cautious Care: A Guide For Patients (Paperback)

As far as I know, this is the first consumer oriented book that details how to use a PHR to get better healthcare.

I wish I had known this when my mother was sick.

As a Health Informaticist, I think it is critical that people begin to understand the power-shift implications of a Personal Health Record (PHR).

You can move your PHR from doctor to doctor. You can use your PHR to communicate your procedure history, your current medications your allergies. All things that EHR systems may not have.

This book clearly advocates taking responsibility for your own health information and details exactly how to do it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make yourself read this, August 24, 2009

By 

San Franciscan - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cautious Care: A Guide For Patients (Paperback)

First of all, I don't know the author. I've had this book sitting around for several months since I bought it at an "empowered healthcare" conference, feeling guilty about not reading it. Well, I finally picked it up last night, and I shouldn't have delayed so long. It's really an easy read; it's written in a very direct, "in your face" style that holds your attention and it's divided into short sections, so it's not overwhelming. After spending several hours absorbed in it, I'm buying a stack of them for friends and family; this is a book you want anyone caring for you to have read, and you owe it to your relative to read if you're caring for someone. It makes a pretty strong case: Shake yourself out of your complacency, or become a statistic like the people who don't.