In this examination of the doctor-patient relationship, Drs. Wen and Kosowsky argue that diagnosis, once the cornerstone of medicine, is fast becoming a lost art, with grave consequences.
Using real-life stories of cookbook-diagnoses-gone-bad, the doctors illustrate how active patient participation can prevent these mistakes. Wen and Kosowsky offer tangible follow-up questions patients can easily incorporate into every doctor's visit to avoid counterproductive and even potentially harmful tests. In the pursuit for the best medical care available, readers can't afford to miss out on these inside-tips and more:
- How to deal with a doctor who seems too busy to listen to you
- 8-Pillars to a Better Diagnosis How to tell the whole story of your illness
- Learning test risks and evaluating whether they're worth it
- How to get a working diagnosis at the end of every doctor's visit
By empowering patients to engage with their doctors as partners in their diagnosis, When Doctors Don't Listen is an essential guide that enables patients to speak up and take back control of their health care.
Dr. Leana Wen is a physician at Harvard and Brigham & Women's Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital. Inspired by her own childhood illness and then her mother's long battle with cancer, Dr. Wen is a recognized expert on patient advocacy and patient-centered care. A Rhodes Scholar, she graduated with distinction from the University of Oxford and Washington University School of Medicine. She has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization, Brookings Institution, China Medical Board, and the National Institutes of Health, and is currently the National President of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine/Resident & Student Association.
The 2007 winner of The New York Times journalism contest, Dr. Wen has reported in Africa with journalist Nicholas Kristof, and has written for The Lancet, Journal of American Medical Association, The Washington Post, among others. Dr. Wen is traveling around the U.S. and in Europe, Asia, and Africa to speak about patient empowerment and her first book, When Doctors Don't Listen: How to Prevent Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests.
Dr. Josh Kosowksy is an expert clinician and the clinical director of the Brigham & Women's Emergency Department. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. A director of the "Introduction to Clinical Medicine Course" which helps prepare Harvard medical students for their hospital clerkships, he has introduced innovative elements to the curriculum around patient-physician communication. Dr. Kosowksy is the author of dozens of journal articles and textbook chapters, and has given invited presentations to hundreds of hospitals and medical schools around the country. He serves on the Editorial Board of a half-dozen medical journals, ranging from Annals of Emergency Medicine to The American Journal of Cardiology.
