Heart Disease: Communicating with Several Providers

If you are like most people with heart disease, you have several providers who each treat you for a different health issue. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, almost 75 percent of people who have heart disease have one or more other chronic health problems.

When a team of providers cares for you, it’s important to keep each one up-to-date on your overall health. Doing so helps them understand the “big picture” of your treatment, while preventing drug interactions.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Tell your providers the names and specialties of all your other health care providers. Although your health problems may not seem related, medical conditions can affect each other. Tell your providers about other medical appointments and what your treatment plans involve. Include any changes in medicines or dosage prescribed or if you have side effects.

• Share your list of medicines. A medication wallet card is handy for listing all your medicines, including dosage and other instructions. Ask your providers to review your list at each visit. Whenever you start taking a new drug, tell the provider the names of all other medicines you take. Include over-the-counter products and herbal supplements. Your pharmacist is an important resource, too. It’s best to use one pharmacy so that the pharmacist can alert you to possible medication interactions.

• Keep yourself informed. Learn about your health issues and the medicines you take. Ask your health care providers to explain your health issues in terms you can understand and bring a list of questions to your clinic appointments. Ask your local librarian for help or use the Internet to do research. Ask your providers for copies of letters they write to other providers about your care.

To help medical consumers learn more, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) offers a brochure called Speak Up: Help Prevent Errors  in Your Care.