Doctor, Your Patient Will See You Now
Steven D. Kussin, M.D.
Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2011
Has there ever come a time when you had the feeling that your doctor simply had it wrong? If you answered “yes” to this question, not to worry, you are not alone. Dr. Steven Kussin has written a book that patients should consider as a “go-to” manual for taking back their health care. Based on his experiences both as a physician and patient, Dr. Kussin offers readers an alternative view; a view from the physician’s side as to what truly happens in medicine and how patients can and should take control over their own health care. In addition, the author is able to spark interest in the health care system by casting a new light on the way we think and act regarding our own health care.
Accepting unquestioning medical advice from your physician is now, or at least should be according to this book, a thing of the past. Where physicians once dictated medicine, patients have now become more knowledgeable, questioning and involved in their health care. Think about it- do you think that when doctors are patients, we sit back and accept what we are told. Rather, it is our right of all of us to question, to seek out additional information, and determine what the best course of treatment is for ourselves. We should expect the best and do away with anything less than that.
Throughout this book, Dr. Kussin takes us on a journey of what it is like to be a person on the other side, a physician trapped in a system of “I think,” “the last time I checked,” “as far as I know,” and even “it’s what I was told.” His pent-up frustrations on a health care system that too often causes harm to those he took an oath to protect are reflected through the tips and suggestions he offers readers. It becomes clear that his intention for writing this book is not to destort or destroy society’s view on our health care system, but to create a beneficial change that would hopefully result in a patient-centered health care system where the individual is able to take control of what is rightfully theirs. This book is a good start and an easy though at times painful read.