Radiocast: Next Steps After Diagnosis

Rand: This is Healthcare 411. Hearing a diagnosis of a serious disease can be a frightening thing. Luckily, there’s a free booklet out that can help you. That story next.

[Begin PSA: Secondhand Smoke]

Narrator: Seven time All-Pro Darrell Green talks with kids about smoking.

Darrell Green: What do you think you could tell someone who smokes that would make them quit?

Kid 1: They’re hurting their friends; they’re hurting everybody around them.

Kid 2: It’s bad for you and it costs a lot of money.

Kid 3: Every time they’re smoking, they are polluting the air.

Kid 4: Cause they’re really special to us.

Darrell Green: Is there any better reason to quit? Be a champion and set a healthy example and remember, it’s never too late to quit.

Narrator: For help, call 1-800-QUIT NOW. A message from the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

[End PSA]

Rand: This is Healthcare 411. Being told by a doctor you have a serious condition can be a very frightening experience. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has published a booklet called, "Next Steps After Diagnosis." AHRQ Director, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, says:

Dr. Clancy: Instantly you need both some good information and you also need to know that it is okay to feel scared, and what’s very, very helpful is if you have someone with you, someone who can pay attention, who is not being directly affected by this news themselves, so that if you forget to ask obvious questions or if the doctor says something to you that is really startling like, "You’re going to have to have open heart surgery in an hour," they can say, "Excuse me?"

Rand: Dr. Clancy says, the bottom line is:

Dr. Clancy: It is highly unusual that you actually have to make a decision right now. You actually have time to stop and think, to take some really deep breaths, to actually look for other information, to ask questions about alternatives, and so forth. That may be the most important message that people get out of this brochure.

Rand: Copies of "Next Steps After Diagnosis," as well as other brochures and fact sheets for patients and their families are available on AHRQ’s Web site at www.ahrq.gov/consumer. I’m Rand Gardner, Healthcare 411 is produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.