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    Informed Health Decisions

    Sometimes it’s not easy to make decisions about your health. Taking an active role in learning about your health is the first step towards self-care, and towards becoming and staying as healthy as possible. Self-care starts with educating yourself and the support of your health care providers. There is a lot of information out there and it’s hard to know where to look or who to talk to.

    We have gathered together some information and topics that can help you on the road to making informed decisions about your health and the health of those most important to you.

    Featured Topics

    Making Informed Health Decisions

    Making the right choices about your health and health care takes careful thought and the support of your health care providers. These topics cover the basics and help you make important decisions, such as when to see a doctor and when to go to the emergency room.

    • Making Good Health Decisions
    • Making Wise Health Decisions

    Taking an Active Role in Your Health Care

    These topics and tools are here to help you on your journey to self-care and encourage you to become active in learning about your health and the health care that is available to you.

    • Work Closely With Your Doctor
    • Working With More Than One Doctor
    • Making the Most of Your Appointment
    • Health Tracking Forms and Checklists
    • Home Medical Records

    Self-Care

    Learning about self-care is one of the best ways to empower yourself to adopt a healthy lifestyle. These topics give you information about self-care habits and tools.

    • Self-Care Checklist
    • Your Home Health Centre

    The full list of Wise Health Consumer topics.

    Useful Website

    Health Canada

    Being well informed goes a long way towards making decisions about your health. The Health Canada website provides a variety of diverse and reliable health information.

    • Consumer Product Safety
    • Drugs and Health Products
    • Health Concerns
    • Healthy Living

    Have you tried searching our health topics A-Z database?

    Search our database for more health topics.

    Decision Tools

    Knowing and understanding your options makes it easier to make the health care decisions that are right for you and the people in your care. These decision points are tools that can help.

    • Medical Tests
    • Medicines
    • Surgery
    • Treatments and Other Health Issues

    Want More Information?

    HealthLink BC is as close as your phone or the web any time of the day or night, every day of the year.

    Call 8-1-1 toll-free in B.C. or for deaf and hearing-impaired, call 7-1-1.

    You can speak with a health service representative, who can also connect you with a:

    • registered nurse any time, every day of the year;
    • registered dietitian every weekday;
    • pharmacist from 5pm to 9am, every day of the year.

    Translation services are available in more than 130 languages.

    Is it an emergency?

    If you or someone in your care has chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding, it could be life-threatening. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number immediately. If you are concerned about a possible poisoning or exposure to a toxic substance, call Poison Control now at 1-800-567-8911.

    Thanks to our partners and endorsers:

    Interior Health Northern Health Provincial Health Service Authority Vancouver Coastal Health Vancouver Island Health Authority Fraser Health Authority British Columbia Medical Association British Columbia College of Family Physicians College of Pharmacists of British Columbia College of Dietitians of British Columbia College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
     
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