Searching for Health: The Smart Way to Find Information Online and Put It to Use

by Kapil Parakh, Anna Dirksen

Overview

An insider's guide to searching online, communicating with your physician, and maximizing your health from a doctor who works at Google.

We've all been there. Late at night, staring into the glow of a phone trying to make sense of some health-related issue that we know nothing about. In Searching for Health, Dr. Kapil Parakh, with Anna Dirksen, brings to life knowledge he gained from working at Google and practicing medicine. Helping readers avoid common pitfalls, get the information they need, and partner effectively with their health team to figure out a path to good health together, the book distills decades of scientific research into a set of easy-to-follow tips. It also incorporates

• firsthand accounts of common challenges on the path to good health;
• an inside look at how doctors approach and assess health-related information;
• techniques that consumers can use to locate evidence-based information online, whether in blogs, social media postings, forums, or news stories;
• guidance on how individuals can make the best use of new technologies, such as health trackers and other applications;
• recommendations to help patients assess health information for themselves and make decisions based on what they find;
• brief summaries of the scientific studies underpinning the recommendations; and
• online and offline resources—including handy checklists and worksheets—to help readers prepare for appointments, discuss tough topics with their doctors, and take control of their health.

In addition to helping readers find evidence-based information online, the book provides insights into what you can expect from a visit to a doctor or hospital, how to make a decision about surgery or other treatment, what tests doctors will order, which symptom trackers are really effective, and what questions to ask about medications, supplements, and more. Searching for Health is a valuable resource for charting a healthier path through life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421440293
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	04/20/2021
Series:	A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kapil Parakh, MD, MPH, PhD, a practicing cardiologist who trained at Johns Hopkins, works at Google. There, he has spearheaded efforts to provide high-quality health information to over a billion users. Anna Dirksen, MSc, the director of communications at ACCESS Health International, is a public health communications advisor to governments, nonprofits, and multinational organizations. She is the coauthor of Voices in Dementia Care: Reimagining the Culture of Care.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Book
Prologue
Chapter 1. The First Signs of Illness
Chapter 2. Moving from Symptoms to a Diagnosis
Chapter 3. Meeting with Your Doctor about Your Diagnosis
Chapter 4. Receiving a Diagnosis
Chapter 5. Deciding on Treatment
Chapter 6. Medications
Chapter 7. Surgery
Chapter 8. Lifestyle Treatment Options
Chapter 9. Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Chapter 10. Making Tough Decisions
Afterword
Notes
Index

What People are Saying About This

Suzanne R. Steinbaum

An easy-to-read, comprehensive guide, this is an excellent book for all patients trying to navigate their relationship with their doctor and get what they need. Parakh provides a true behind-the-scenes understanding of how doctors think.

Mona Adel Mohamed

An informative and effective guide to seeking health information over the internet.

From the Publisher

Providing a framework that patients can use to research their health concerns online while teaching them how to more effectively communicate with their doctors, this clear and easy-to-follow book will be of great help to anyone who wants to make the most of their health care visits.
—Christine Caufield-Noll, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Library Services

An easy-to-read, comprehensive guide, this is an excellent book for all patients trying to navigate their relationship with their doctor and get what they need. Parakh provides a true behind-the-scenes understanding of how doctors think.
—Suzanne R. Steinbaum, DO, The Mount Sinai Hospital

Searching for Health offers clear, concise, and comprehensive guidance for patients seeking health information online. Helping readers understand their symptoms and conditions, Parakh also teaches them how physicians gather information from patients.
—Gunjan Kumar, MD, Veterans Administrtion Palo Alto Healthcare System

An informative and effective guide to seeking health information over the internet.
—Mona Adel Mohamed, MD, MPH, MEHP, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Gunjan Kumar

Searching for Health offers clear, concise, and comprehensive guidance for patients seeking health information online. Helping readers understand their symptoms and conditions, Parakh also teaches them how physicians gather information from patients.

Christine Caufield-Noll

Providing a framework that patients can use to research their health concerns online while teaching them how to more effectively communicate with their doctors, this clear and easy-to-follow book will be of great help to anyone who wants to make the most of their health care visits.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Maria Hrycenko, BS,DC(Monmouth University School of Nursing and Health Studies)
Description: This comprehensive manual offers an effective format for consumers wishing to improve their ability to navigate healthcare information and the healthcare decision-making process. Well organized for quick referencing, the book helps readers locate evidence-based information online and off. From initial health questions to end-of life concerns, the authors have provided a format to ask and find answers for best care outcomes. The book includes worksheets that help readers construct effective methods to research and evaluate. Each section begins with a patient experience which then leads to evaluation methods for effective research. By becoming effective "self-healthcare advocates" and researchers, patients will find that communication between them and their practitioners will unfold more effectively.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a working handbook and a comprehensive guide for researching an illness and then deciding on the best treatment options. Each chapter covers possible options, research, and database suggestions. It is evidence-based and addresses variations in healthcare choice options. Many would benefit from this book, which would allow them to improve comprehension in healthcare decision making. The book definitely meets the authors' objectives.
Audience: Intended for lay readers, this book provides a step-by-step guide to effectively assess health content. However, experienced practitioners also can use it as a quick reference to enhance already learned skills. Dr. Parakh is well known, not only as a practicing cardiologist, but also in the tech industry with his experience at Google. Anna Dirksen's significant contribution is particularly helpful in explaining a healthcare experience and the concerns involved.
Features: Each section begins with a firsthand account of a patient experience, and then offers guidance and worksheets. Throughout the book, these worksheets serve as a step-by-step guide to compiling this information in an easily accessible format. The authors break the information down into phase-specific category sections. The sections progress from the start of an illness to end-of-life decision making. The concluding reference section enables easy review of suggested online and offline resources.
Assessment: This is a valuable guide to health choice decision-making. The book provides an effective tutorial for research retrieval and a comprehensive guide to creating a personal health history. The many checklists enable readers to reflect and compile important documents for each chapter of the healthcare journey. It serves as a guide for health consumers and may assist practicing clinicians. This is a valuable resource that helps readers plan for a healthier lifepath.

Doody's Review Service