Patient Self-Advocacy & Why It's Important: Oncologist Perspective | Dr. Mark Lewis

Dr. Mark Lewis is a gastrointestinal oncologist at Intermountain Healthcare, formerly at MD Anderson and trained at Mayo Clinic. What makes his different from most of his peers? He's dealt with cancer, himself, both as a patient and as a caregiver.

In this clip, Dr. Lewis explains why it's so important for patients to advocate for themselves in healthcare and especially during treatment decision-making.

Excerpt:
"It used to be someone in a white coat, very stern, comes in, first appointment, 'You got cancer,' we brush that aside very quickly, and then we tell you what you're going to do. That used to be the exchange, and it felt very unidirectional. What I would tell patients now is we live in the information age, we have more access to information than we've ever had before."

[justjulia]

For me, growing up in a family with nurses and PA’s, I find I have to walk a very fine line speaking as a patient with medical knowledge; Dr’s seem to bristle if you seem too knowledgeable, use medical terms they think you shouldn’t know ..AND are attempting to navigate your health problems without seeming like a hypochondriac.. or the patient who uses WebMD to self diagnose.

It’s easy to say be your own advocate, but try being a 40 yr old female on this frustrating journey for the past 5 years.. the amount of condescending and dismissive “specialists” I’ve encountered (not withstanding a year lost to COVID measures) has left me feeling unheard and defeated.

I watch these videos, which are very helpful and inspiring. I just wish I could find the right Dr ♥️

[carmy_v]

I appreciate this message from the doctor. My dad was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. His phycisian seems to be quite aggressive and domineering not leaving much room for my parents to make informed decisions, and it troubles me so much that I insisted that they have him understand that his professional input is important but that he needs to know that as his patients, they also have the right to weigh options and carefully consider the way forward. He doesn't seem to want to include my parents' GP in other matters either. He wants to run the show alone. He has done a great job in how he has cared for both my parents but has become a tad too arrogant for me.