Disease recovery should be as straightforward as:
- Tell your doctor
- Take any tests required
- Start the treatment
- Get better
So you don’t need to plan that.
But what if your disease is more complicated. Maybe you’re reluctant to take meds. Perhaps worried by side effects. Or friends opinions about different treatments have confused you. Whatever the reason, I’m going to work through an example of a basic PROSPRA template for disease recovery.
Now this has to be a basic template. Because every disease has different treatment stages. Also doctors often have different strategies they always use. Most importantly, every patient has different goals and reactions. So this cannot be a treatment plan for a specific disease. Instead, it is a 7-step procedure for you to start a realistic dialog with your doctor. Usually required after years of failed recovery attempts. Or a starting point if you get a shock diagnosis.
Intention
I intend to show how to use the PROSPRA technique to work with health professionals to produce a management plan for a treatable disease. So you have to accept that health issues require consultation with qualified medical people. Then you can use this procedure to be more involved in your disease recovery. Because patient involvement is important for working with doctors and other health management professionals.
clinicians are consistently positive about the principles of patient centredness and patient participation in decision making processes[1]
PROSPRA Technique for Disease Recovery
PROSPRA splits the planning phase for issues and concerns into three logical steps (1 to 3 below). So you and your doctor make the right treatment choices. Then the action phase is simply to get the right meds (step 4). But never forget the follow-up phase. Because you need three steps (5 to 7) to make sure you’re not just better. Be the best you can be.
① Purpose = Wellness Goals
Don’t dwell on this but make it as personal as possible. “Just get better” is fine. Even better is “I want to attend my child’s wedding without pain”. You can come back to this anytime. Also, you should review your wellness goals regularly. If in doubt, just continue with a commitment to see how it goes.
② Rewards = Measurable Expectations
How is recovery measured? What resources are available? Will testing reveal treatment restrictions? What are reasonable, measurable expectations?
③ Objectives = Treatment Choices
Choices come from physical examination, pre-treatment tests, treatment knowledge, and any other disease-specific options. Discuss these personal facts with your health professional and choose what is right for you.
④ Strategy = Get Prescription
Get your prescription(s).
⑤ Production = Take Treatment
Take the meds and any tests, if applicable.
⑥ Reap = Results Assessment
Assess results and change prescription, change plan, or enjoy recovery.
⑦ Appreciate = Enjoy Recovery, Enjoy Life
Make sure you realize the ambitions that drove you to start your own disease recovery procedure. Enjoy being well. Then think about improving your wellbeing even further.
Your PROSPRA Procedure for Disease Recovery
Here you have a procedure that you can customize to suit your ambitions, medical history, and personal preferences. So your best way forward is to start with your goals. Then work through the procedure step-by-step.
But I realize that some long-running problems are hard to tackle. Especially if you’ve tried solutions before, and they haven’t worked. However, the beauty of PROSPRA is its flexibility. So you might start with the treatment you tried. Then work forward to assess what went wrong. Next work backward to see what other choices you might have made. Soon you’ll have your 7 steps that you can review and refine until you are better.
With many disease recovery plans, it’s good to have a mentor. So many health centers provide support to help you with your disease recovery plan. Tell me in the feedback form below if you need help finding a mentor.
Remember, PROSPRA templates can help you solve one-off problems. Or help you improve routine processes. So subscribe to my free update service to get emails when I publish new templates.
PROSPRA Technique for Disease Recovery References
- Elwyn, Glyn, Adrian Edwards, Michael Wensing, Kerenza Hood, Christine Atwell, and Richard Grol. “Shared decision making: developing the OPTION scale for measuring patient involvement.” BMJ Quality & Safety 12, no. 2 (2003): 93-99.
