Surviving Modern Medicine: How to Get the Best From Doctors, Family , and Friends [Paperback]

Peter and Susan H. Evans Clarke (Author), Susan H. Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

This guide shows the steps that wise patients must take to navigate the bewildering healthcare system and secure the best medical attention possible. Readers learn how to open lines of communication with doctors, weigh the risks and benefits among treatment options, mobilize understanding and effective social support from family and friends, overcome the fatigue and guilt of long-term caregiving, and control life-support situations to balance high- technology medical care against an acceptable quality of life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anyone who has a medical concern from sniffles to surgery needs this book. For that matter, so does everyone who ever will have a medical concern or is caring for someone who does. This informative, practical guide is an indispensable resource for coping with illness--and coping with the medical system." -- Carol Tavris, Ph.D., psychologist and author of The Mismeasure of Woman and Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion

"Clarke and Evans have given besieged consumers of today's healthcare system what they require: tools to become CEO of their medical lives and to contain the ravages of illness or accident." -- Warren Bennis, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, USC; author of Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration

"It's almost unfair that such a useful book which deals with life and death should be so well-written and so interesting. You'll want to read it the first time because you can't put it down, and then again whenever you need to recover inner serenity from the ravages of ill-health." -- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of Chicago, and author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

"Superb, Surviving Modern Medicine can dramatically increase the quality of your medical care." -- Art Ulene, M.D., NBC TODAY Show's Family Doctor

"This book is deeply insightful and practical, and it just might save your life. My advice: buy two copies; read one and give the other to your physician." -- Larry Dossey, M.D., Executive Editor, Alternative Therapies and author of Healing Words: The Practice of Power and the Practice of Medicine

If you want to get the most out of a visit to your doctor, then you need to communicate better and take control right off the bat, advise two longtime observers of the health field. Peter Clarke and Susan Evans, faculty members at the USC School of Medicine, co-wrote Surviving Modern Medicine to help consumers get the best medical care.

In their book, Clarke and Evans show consumers how to smartly use the medical system. For instance, do you know what three things you should never do during a consultation with your doctor? At the top of the list, both agree, is never having a serious conversation while still in that revealing paper gown. Patients are at a disadvantage, embarrassed and vulnerable when half-clothed. Wait until you're in street clothes and have regained your composure to talk with doctors.

Second, never go to a doctor's office without having someone with you. And, never leave a consultation without having the doctor give you a summary, the bottom line. You want the doctor to reiterate what has already been said so there won't be any misunderstanding. You'll get much more out of your office visit if you present yourself with an air of professionalism and prepare for it. -- Union-Leader

Of the many health books that attempt to guide consumers through the specifics of a particular disease, few may be as helpful as this overall guide to navigating today's complicated health care system. Clarke and Evans are longtime observers of the health field and advocates of sound consumer health policies. And they've combined their talents to show consumers how to use the medical system intelligently.

The authors cite five critical areas for consumers to focus on to get good care: getting your doctor to pay attention, making the best medical decisions, seeking the right kind of support from family and friends, appreciating your caregiver and protecting your choices in critical-care situations.

The book is both practical yet deeply psychological in urging readers to look at their own decisions, emotions, thought patterns and habits. -- Los Angeles Times

Surviving Modern Medicine is an elegantly written book filled with insights. [It] is a comprehensive guide for patients with serious illness, as well as their caregivers. -- Washington Times

Surviving Modern Medicine, by Peter Clarke and Susan H. Evans, tells you how to get the best care and support from doctors, families, and friends. The authors devote chapters on everything from how to equalize the power imbalance between doctor and patient to how to write and enforce a living will. The book is leavened with humor from Lily Tomlin and Spaulding Gray. -- Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

Surviving Modern Medicine is the first how-to guide to focus on the practical steps consumers must take to navigate today's confusing medical world and to dramatically improve the quality of care they receive. Authors Peter Clarke and Susan H. Evans dig through leading medical and psychological research for down-to-earth tips that any patient can apply to open lines of communication with doctors, weigh the risks and benefits among treatment options, mobilize understanding and effective social support from family and friends, overcome the fatigue and guilt of long-term caregiving, and control life-support situations to balance high-technology medical care against an acceptable quality of life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081352556X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813525563
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,177,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, September 20, 2000

By 

Marcia McKenzie (Montreal, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surviving Modern Medicine: How to Get the Best From Doctors, Family , and Friends (Hardcover)

Surviving Modern Medicine was given to me when it was first published in 1998. I read the first chapters; since I did not have a particular medical problem, I did not feel the need to finish the book.

Time passed and someone very dear to me raised a question concerning what to do in the case of serious illness of a loved one. I immediately referred to Surviving Modern Medicine and was able to share some of the ideas discussed by Clarke and Evans. In the end I bought the book for my friend.

This book is a resource for us baby boomers who, believing ourselves to be immortal, will delay facing the issues of age and death. Clarke and Evans address these important subjects with candor and compassion. I recommend this book to anyone who is beyond the great divide - over 50.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Increase your health through knowledge!, May 30, 2001

By 

J. Williams (Venice, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surviving Modern Medicine: How to Get the Best From Doctors, Family , and Friends (Hardcover)

Linda Richman, author of a humorous book and audiotape, explains that what we know about pain is: "no one wants any and everyone gets some." If you haven't yet experienced the pain of illness yourself or in a loved one, it's pretty likely you will. On the other hand, many, if not most of us, have already had brushes with illness or even death. This is just the book to have on hand for those occasions - though it's truly helpful even if you're not facing a crisis. In fact, the authors suggest that it's better to think things through before one occurs!

Generally speaking, the information in the book is highly practical - tips aimed at improving health that you can put into action right away. I liked the fact that you don't have to read the chapters in order to get the benefit of the sections relevant to your own situation. And to top it all off, Clarke and Evans take a subject that is not usually thought of as entertaining and "take their own medicine," using humor and stories throughout, which makes the reading go quick.

Chapter 3 was the most powerful chapter for me: "Seeking the Right Kind of Social Support." I always thought I had a good - if not excellent - support network. What I learned is that there are (at least) six types of support: emotional support, yes - but also network support, esteem support, tangible support, informational support and opportunity for nurturance. Further, the type of support needed depends on personal circumstances and type of situation. This opened up my eyes to why I seem to cope with some situations better than others.

Perhaps the most important outcome for me was significantly reducing my own stress level. My husband and I have chosen to have a schizophrenic relative live with us. He is an intelligent and kind person, and the effects of his illness are not terribly apparent. So it may or may not be a surprise that this situation can be extremely stressful to me. I learned several key tips that helped me tremendously, for example, asking for and receiving the type of support I was lacking (and didn't know I was lacking until I read the book), or using humor effectively to deal with the situation overall.

This book that will be on my Christmas shopping list this year!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for yourself and those you love, September 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Surviving Modern Medicine: How to Get the Best From Doctors, Family , and Friends (Hardcover)

This book is easy to read, well oganized, and most helpful. The information here has already helped myself and my family. I've already bought copies for gifts. If you want to know the inside scoop on health care in America, you must read this book.