Opinion: Doctors need to pay more attention to non-physical side effects of health care
When a patient signs on for medical care, they’re agreeing to lose money, time, and independence.
When faced with a new diagnosis, a patient knows that the necessary treatment may make her feel lousy. What she doesn’t always account for, though, is the effect that it will have on the rest of her life.
It’s common for patients and physicians to decide whether a treatment is worth it by weighing the health benefits against the side effects. Most treatments — good treatments — aren’t just rainbows and butterflies. Chemotherapy leaves a person fatigued and nauseated. Treatments for sickle cell anemia can lead to infertility, and even routine vaccines sometimes have you nursing a sore arm for days.
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