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Cover image of Get Inside Your Doctor's Head
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Get Inside Your Doctor's Head

Ten Commonsense Rules for Making Better Decisions about Medical Care

Phillip K. Peterson, M.D.

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Ten rules of medical decision making—and when to break them.

Second Place Winner of the Design and Effectiveness Award of the Washington Publishers

With so many medical tests and treatments and so much scientific and medical information—some of it contradictory—how can people make the best medical decisions?

Most medical decisions, it turns out, are based on common sense. In this short and easy-to-read book, Dr. Phillip K. Peterson explains the ten rules of internal medicine. Using real case examples he shows how following the rules will help consumers make good decisions about their medical care...

Ten rules of medical decision making—and when to break them.

Second Place Winner of the Design and Effectiveness Award of the Washington Publishers

With so many medical tests and treatments and so much scientific and medical information—some of it contradictory—how can people make the best medical decisions?

Most medical decisions, it turns out, are based on common sense. In this short and easy-to-read book, Dr. Phillip K. Peterson explains the ten rules of internal medicine. Using real case examples he shows how following the rules will help consumers make good decisions about their medical care.

Get Inside Your Doctor’s Head provides advice about such questions as when to seek treatment, when to get another opinion, and when to let time take its course. Turn to the Ten Rules when you are weighing your doctor’s recommendations about diagnostic tests and treatments and use them to communicate more effectively with your doctor. As with all rules, the Ten Rules of Internal Medicine have occasional exceptions—and when evidence suggests that you are an exception, the relevant rule should be broken. Follow the Ten Rules to make decisions in the increasingly complicated medical world when you need guidance about health matters for yourself and your loved ones.

Reviews

Reviews

It’s a small book, but it’s full of big and invaluable advice.

A powerful discussion highly recommended as a basic primer to medical professional thought processes, and will appeal to any general-interest health collection.

Well written and easy to pick up and understand. it is obviously written for the lay person but is definitely not patronising or demeaning, delivery an easy read for professionals and lay persons alike... nice pocket sized companion that if not carried... should remain on hand, on a desk or book shelf.

In simple direct language Dr. Peterson tells readers how to understand their doctors’ recommendations and ask intelligent questions about their validity. This straightforward information provides valuable tools to help readers evaluate medical advice and become effective self-advocates for the highest quality medical care available.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
5
x
7
Pages
144
ISBN
9781421410692
Table of Contents

Introduction: Applying and Breaking the Rules
1. If You Don't Know What You're Doing, Don't Do Anything
2. If What You're Doing Seems to Be Working, Think about Continuing It
3. If What You're Doing

Introduction: Applying and Breaking the Rules
1. If You Don't Know What You're Doing, Don't Do Anything
2. If What You're Doing Seems to Be Working, Think about Continuing It
3. If What You're Doing Doesn't Seem to Be Working, Think about Doing Something Else
4. Don't Agree to an Invasive Procedure without Understanding Why It's Needed—and without Getting a Second Opinion
5. If You Don't Have Symptoms, a Doctor Can't Make You Feel Better
6. Never Trust Anyone Completely, Especially Purveyors of Conventional Wisdom
7. Most Things Are What They Seem to Be, Except When They're Not
8. What Your Doctor Doesn't Know Could Kill You
9. Timing Is Everything, and Sometimes Time Is the Cure
10. Caring Is Always Important Medicine
Epilogue: The Participatory Art of Medicine
Recap: The Rules Revisited
Acknowledgments
Appendix: Additional Information about the Common Illnesses Discussed in This Book

Author Bio
Phillip K. Peterson, M.D.
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Phillip K. Peterson, M.D.

Phillip K. Peterson, M.D., is a professor of medicine and an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Because many infections are public health threats and many are linked to animals, he is also on the faculties of the University of Minnesota School of Public...