7. Stay informed

There's no shortage of medical information available today. In fact, info overload is the real problem. Stay informed on health issues by consulting trusted sources - such as your doctor, or your hospital's website. Peter Shea, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Backus, said there are many useful resources available and it is important to stay informed. "But the best resource is still a strong relationship with your primary care provider. The system can be daunting to navigate and a primary care provider can be your advocate to help you map your best course." What you don't know can hurt you.

Fast fact

The cost of low health literacy to the United States economy is in the range of $106 billion to $236 billion annually.
Source: University of Connecticut School of Business

Web extra:

Visit UpToDate, Backus Hospital's comprehensive web resource of medical information. It is entirely written by doctors, reviewed for accuracy and timeliness, and contains more than 7,700 topics addressing questions that arise in clinical practice. Look for it on the Backus homepage at www.backushospital.org