What does it take to stay healthy? Public health experts provide a range of approaches you can take. This includes things like making lifestyle changes with diet and exercise to getting regular check-ups and getting vaccinated to help protect against various diseases, including the flu.
Every person will have a different opinion on which approaches are right for their individual health goals. Regardless of what your goals are, studies have shown that actively engaging in your healthcare can make a positive difference to your health, providing you a greater sense of satisfaction with your care.
Some things you can do to be engaged in managing your health include learning how to gather relevant health information and develop skills in understanding and using it. Other examples of patient engagement include advocating for yourself when meeting with your healthcare team—and collaborating with your doctor in making decisions about your health.
Why is it important to collaborate with your doctor in making health decisions?
Collaborating with your doctor on making health decisions is also known as shared decision-making. It involves your doctor providing you information about care options, allowing you to consider them all and explore which of them you might prefer. Through thoughtful reflection and discussion, you and your doctor can agree upon a decision on how to move forward with your care.
Shared decision-making is used when you need to consider which care measures are most appropriate for your health. Your doctor might suggest working with you on making a health decision in certain situations. For example, if you were diagnosed with a certain health condition, and none of the available treatments showed a clear advantage over the others, your doctor might suggest talking through the options together.
Another example of when shared decision-making might be used if you have care options that are associated with side effects or toxicities, which offset the potential benefits. Shared decision-making could also be used in a situation that involves choosing a treatment based on your personal preference or health situation.
How do we use shared decision-making with flu vaccines?
Seasonal flu vaccines have shown a clear benefit in preventing the flu or reducing your chances of getting severe illness due to the flu. Studies have shown that flu vaccination can also reduce the chances you’ll need to be hospitalized for the flu or die from it.
For these reasons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that most people, with rare exceptions, get a flu vaccine every year. Likewise, when you see your doctor during your annual check-up, they’re making that same recommendation to you for the same reasons.
While your doctor is knowledgeable about the benefits and risks of flu vaccination for your health, shared decision-making also takes into account your preferences and values. Talking to your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have about getting a flu vaccine can be part of shared decision-making about your preventive care—a collaboration between two people who are best positioned to help you meet your health goals.
When you clearly and honestly communicate your questions or concerns, you can help your doctor better understand how you wish to approach those goals. Having an open dialogue with your doctor about flu vaccination—and any approach to maintaining your health—may give you greater satisfaction with your care, and may help you build a trusting and lasting relationship with your provider.
If you have concerns about why flu vaccines are recommended, how vaccines work, the safety or benefits of vaccines—take time to write down any questions you have before your doctor’s visit, then take the opportunity to voice your questions to your doctor. Make notes on what your doctor says, or bring a family member or friend with you to take notes for you.
If you have been doing online research about flu vaccination—or any health topic—use good judgment and make sure you are researching trustworthy sources of health information online. Use that information as one part of how you learn about flu vaccination, and share your learnings during your check-up before making any decisions or changes to your care. If you have questions about how to evaluate what you’ve read, ask your doctor to discuss it with you.
Read an overview about the different types of flu vaccines
