One of the major factors inhibiting the health of individuals is lack of personal responsibility in following a healthy lifestyle and proactively working with their health care providers to maintain their health. In his essay in The New England Journal of Medicine on personal responsibility for health, Dr. Robert Steinbrook identifies the importance of practicing good lifestyle habits and working with medical professionals by agreeing to follow their advice.
One of the benefits of personal health responsibility is lowering the cost of medical care, as the existence of minor and major illnesses diminish. In addition, without taking personal health responsibility, the abilities and productivity of individuals can thwart the efforts of their employers, by increasing the days of sick time they might take as a result of health issues. The nature of such an impact has lead the government to recognize the necessity of personal health responsibility, attempting to implement new programs, such as Roadmap to Medicaid Reform under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, to influence health care providers and insurance companies to establish their own incentives for people to be proactive. By taking personal health responsibility, the costs of healthcare can potentially see a reduction, thereby affecting the national economy. Learn more about Mark McCool here.
However, incentives for taking personal health responsibility are not enough, and there needs to be a degree of accountability to their medical provider to maintain an active role in their health. Maintaining good health records is an initial step, often involving, gathering all family records that are available and reviewing provider records to be sure all information is up to date. Adherence to medical advice is another area of accountability to their medical provider individuals must consider. Often, medical advice is ignored due to potential cost, time away from work and effort involved. It may take time to research a diagnosed illness, however the value of understanding the illness will allow individuals to ask more questions and explore all the possible methods of improving their health.
Although we have been conditioned to enjoy the benefits of living in a wealthy nation that offers immediate gratification, treating hour own health as an inconvenience to find quick fixes for has severe consequences that not only affect the individual, but their family, and society in general.
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