I have talked about the positive aspects of building relationships, forging a sense of community and collaborating. We need to have honest dialogue to accomplish these goals. There are two phenomenon occurring at the same time in the health care industry which do not sustain a meaningful relationship and building community. They are a decrease in conversation between persons and the absence of quality care. With the increasing use of technological messaging in society, researchers are finding there there has been a decrease in conversations, talking.

A survey conducted by NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) and the AARP indicated that 63% of people 50 or older use some form of CAM an only 31% of those users discuss CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) with their health care providers. In addition, it was the users of CAM who initiated dialogue with their providers.

Reason for not talking? In Too many health care settings the patient is given a medical history form to fill out. Excluding NPs and PAs, very few providers talk with their patients regarding the patient’s present and past medical history.

It is important for your health and well being that you write all treatments and therapies such as OTC (over-the-counter) and prescription medication, herbal and dietary supplements on the history intake form.

More dialogue is needed between the provider and patients regarding the use of CAM therapies. Instead of waiting for your provider to ask, you initiate the conversation. It is also important that the provider ask the question and listen to the answers.
When was the last time you initiated a convesation about a topic the provider felt uncomfortable talking about or didn’t want to devote time to non-conventional medicine?