When faced with healthcare challenges, it’s understandable that individuals may want to embrace promising medical interventions that are readily available.
However, before agreeing to any type of preventative or treatment-focused intervention, it’s important to keep three considerations in mind:
1. Your individual situation.
Everybody’s needs are different and each person’s situation is unique.
That’s true in terms of health conditions, health status, age, etc.
Consider your specific needs to help you determine whether a medical intervention is right for you.
To help you decide, discuss this with your healthcare provider and others whom you trust.
2. Informed consent.
Before agreeing to a medical intervention of any type, it’s critical that you fully understand what it is you’re agreeing to.
Learn all you can about the intervention—including expected side effects and any other questions you may have.
Remember that informed consent is important for any type of healthcare intervention—whether it’s focused on treatment or prevention.
2. Credible information.
Basing decisions on credible information is essential.
As such, it’s important to tap into sources you trust to provide it.
As you do, remember that agreeing to a medical intervention of any kind is your decision.
After all, only you can decide what’s best for you.
This post is adapted from Sue’s Perspectives column in the latest edition of The Empowered Traveler™ Newsletter. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can do that here: Subscribe to Sue’s newsletter.