Posted by gary g on May 08, 1999 at 09:59:45:
just had routine annual eye exam
had a last minute idea - printed out DJ's extensive CH article (go to this site's title page & click on the info article button)
& took with
the eyedoc was absolutely DELIGHTED
she was vaguely aware of CH, had had a couple patients come in thinking it was eye trouble, but hadn't been able to find any decent info
ended up putting her next patient off 15-20 minutes to do a crash discussion of CH
now that is off-the-scale unusual and encouraging, but still a good example-
just getting her on board will undoubdtly help several more people a year get past the 5 year average diagnosis period, and hooked into some real help
I volunteered to use the search on this site to dig out anything of substance, eye/vision related that is in the msg archives (again - go to the title page & ck out the search feature, it works GREAT)
she got all excited about that
MY SUGGESTION:
1. look for the opportunites
2. GO PREPARED - start with a printout of the article mentioned above, print it out, put it in a $1 report binder, etc - MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM
3. This one may be hard for a lot of US to grasp, because obviously we are all internet-addicted BUT:
I know a BUNCH of docs, and only a FEW of them get anywhere near the internet, they don't have the time -
believe me they WON'T bother digging out this site, etc, just because we give 'em the URL & a pep talk
but they DO relate to info being pub'd on paper - so if we want to "SELL" to them, we need to think like them and make it easy for them to want to "BUY" our message:
a. DON'T give them a bunch of personal or anecdotal stuff - they are trained to actually disregard that(and for real good reason but that's another topic) use the different peer-reviewed, MD written, health care organization pub'd materials you can find by web-searching
b. don't overload the packet - clarity & direct info is much more impressive than 300 pp of repetitive info from different sources BUT it might be good strategy to use different accredited sources for different aspects of the topic - that way it stays succinct, but also demonstrates that many authorities are addressing the issue, which in turn creates a desire to not be left behind the curve, in the target doc
c. if you are not a health care professional DO NOT attempt to play teacher to the doc unless s/he asks you questions or asks you to explain - - that returns it to the personal, which provides a real good excuse to blow it off
do the same thing for your employer's insurance/benefits administrator - all beancounters LOVE to increase the appearance of being professionals (yeah - I know - bear with me), and if they have "journal" articles in a binder they can't help working it into their package - that's the way they're wired
so, don;t argue with them, that the "should" be helping you - instead "help" them be big shots (the ultimate motivation for any bureaucrat)
go back and re-study "The Prince"
it is a terrific handbook for this sort of things,
after what - 400 or 500 years now ?
keep fighting the good fight,
but pick & plan the battles
THAT'S how the wars are won !
hang in there gang