Public Service Announcements
Actress Fran Drescher talks about the importance of screening tests for early diagnosis of cancer, encouraging patients to be involved in their own health care. In English.
Introduction
AHRQ's "You're In Charge of Your Health" PSAs feature actress and health advocate Fran Drescher in public service announcements that encourage consumers to take charge of their health care. She discusses the importance of asking the right questions and promotes AHRQ's Question Builder to help consumers create a personalized list of questions that they can take with them to their health care professionals.
Background
Fran Drescher survived uterine cancer but only after eight doctors diagnosed and treated her incorrectly for 2 years. Ms. Drescher found out the hard way that she needed to be her own best health advocate by insisting that doctors review her symptoms and conduct new tests until they got the diagnosis correct. Ms. Drescher's dynamic personality, combined with her personal story, allowed her to create "Cancer, Schmancer" (http://www.cancerschmancer.org ) an organization dedicated to early detection and treatment of all cancers. These elements make these PSAs compelling to watch and hear.
Viewing the Video
You may watch the video PSAs on your computer.
Listening to the Audio
You may listen to the audio PSA on your computer.
Additional Resources on Being an Involved Health Care Consumer
Questions Are the Answer
The Question Builder tool is part of a larger multimedia public service campaign AHRQ created to help patients be involved and informed about their own health care.
Go to:
http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/index.html
Audio
As part of AHRQ's Healthcare 411 audio series, AHRQ Director Dr. Carolyn Clancy has recorded a number of interviews to help consumers understand what they can do to get quality medical care. All programs created for Healthcare 411 (including the Newscasts and Special Reports) are available by going to http://www.healthcare411.ahrq.gov. Here are some highlights:
Web Publications
Current as of March 2009
Internet Citation:
Take Charge with Fran Drescher, Actress and Cancer Survivor: Public Service Announcements. March 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/drescherpsa.htm