An important shift in my life this year has been discovering the value of my health and the relationship of healthcare between the system and patients. I shifted between four doctors and a hospital and different meds. I felt helpless because I didn't understand the process of the health system. I had my pediatric doctor until I left for college and then the importance of having a doctor drifted behind college and other things in my life. But this year, I was stuck with no primary care doctor and no responsibility in my health when I needed to be the most active.

I have had physicians that look at me as an illness and not a person and did not listen to what I had to say about my own body. This made me feel I was not able to share all my information without judgment or knowing I would get the best help. It made me want to continue switching physicians. Sometimes, physicians are not empathetic and patients don't feel valued. This needs to change. Listening to patients builds trust. Understanding the medical history of the patient helps with how you treat them and understand them. Budgets and cost-cutting lead to doctors being pressured, and passion can quickly turn into disengagement.

Clinicians should work together to understand what type of quality of care is best appropriate. They should use the ever-growing technology for patients to use for feedback or give information. Those who focus on quality most likely have the lowest cost. If the U.S. health care system focused on raising the quality of care by the level of average OECD data, then it would save $500 billion a year. This would be a win-win situation in lowering healthcare cost while also giving the quality patients need.

Creating treatments and programs in the healthcare system that are targeted to specific patients promotes high-quality care and value, and the doctors are able to focus on specific targets instead of a broad spectrum at one. Creating leadership and interpersonal programs that involve interacting with medical staff and patients can create a better-equipped physician.

Patients come to a hospital or clinic scared, anxious, and wanting help. At times, patients are not sure how to communicate with their physician. Patients should also take the time to be aware of their body and trust their instincts of what's wrong and communicate with their doctor as clear as possible. There should be a standard that the patient and physician both want optimum health.

Better listening to patients in the medical field can help lower overall medical costs, lower the number of treatments, raise the quality of care, and create a better environment. Self-reported health matters just as much as receiving information through tests. Patients feeling that they have more control in the say of their health will be more open and proactive to preventative healthcare. We must ask questions and be assertive for our health. We are our own best advocate for our health.