Is It Better to Have Someone Else With You?

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Emmy Award-winning writer says it helps to have another person with you when trying to navigate the health care system. "It should not be that if you are white and male and of a certain class background, that you're taken more seriously by your doctor than somebody who is not," she writes. She adds: Having a loved one vouch for how your pain is different, or how they look different, great. I think you should take advantage of all these additional venus because this also is about your health and your life"

A doctor’s visit, even in the best of times, can be overwhelming to navigate. Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician and public health advocate who is committed to patient advocacy. In this episode, Dr. Wen shares tips on how to be a better patient and increase the effectiveness of your care. The author of dozens of scientific articles on emergency systems and patient-centered health reform, Dr. Wen is a visiting professor of health policy and management at George Washington University’s School of Public Health. A contributing columnist for The Washington Post and a CNN medical analyst, she previously served as Baltimore's Health Commissioner. Inspired by struggles during her mother’s long illness, she wrote When Doctors Don't Listen, a book about empowering patients to avoid misdiagnoses and unnecessary tests. Dr. Wen has received recognition as one of Governing's Public Officials of the Year, American Public Health Association's top award for local public health, Modern Healthcare's Top 50 Physician-Executives and TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People. To learn more about "How to Be a Better Human," host Chris Duffy, or find footnotes and additional resources, please visit: go.ted.com/betterhuman