Alicia, a 36-year-old woman with one child, had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She felt overwhelmed by information about her disease and treatment options, and was particularly concerned about her future ability to have another child. Alicia felt like her health care providers had not truly heard her questions or concerns. She also felt rushed to make critical decisions without the information she needed.
Alicia’s patient advocate listened attentively and compassionately as she talked about her confusion, fear, and isolation. They worked together to help Alicia make more informed treatment decisions one step at a time by educating her about her disease, providing “talking points” for her next doctor visit, helping her assess her values, and providing needed emotional support.
Alicia reported, “I now understand that I need to prepare for my health care visits so I can get the most from the short time my doctor has. Financial and organizational pressures often make it impossible for health care providers to spend as much time as they would like with patients – once I understood that, my attitude and my game plan changed.”
