Doing your own research

When doctors or researchers want to communicate case studies or other information to their colleagues, they write an article that is published in one of many scientific or medical journals.

Unfortunately, like all of us, doctors are busy people and it is impossible for them to keep up with every new piece of information out there. If you are a patient, it benefits you to be informed.  

We accessed a list of journal articles through PubMed, the National Library of Medicine web site, and then obtained copies of the articles at a local university library. Many of the articles are also available on-line directly from the publisher, for a fee.

Articles generally include an Abstract, which briefly describes what the article is about, so you can decide whether or not you want to read it (or buy it in some cases). Most physicians should be able to access the articles if given the references. In our case, some of our health care professionals were aware of CPT, but most had never heard of it.  

We have learned a lot by doing our own research.

When reviewing literature, keep in mind that just because an article is published does not mean it is unbiased. It is best to get a well-rounded consensus of opinions by reading many articles on a topic.

There are also a lot of web sites addressing many of these issues. The same caveat applies. Just because it is on the web doesn't mean that the information is accurate. Again, review many sites on a topic before forming an opinion about the information you read. You can and should take part in your own medical care if you are a patient. Remember: It benefits you to be informed.