If you work in the medical community or watch enough network television, odds are you’ve heard the term “high-risk patient.” These patients are considered the most likely to suffer an aggravation, complication, or other serious medical condition.
You might assume a high-risk patient is someone who is old, overweight, and inactive, and while all those factors make someone more likely to be at an elevated risk, there are other conditions doctors must account for before classifying a patient as high-risk.
Risk Factors
There is no exact formula for determining if a patient is high-risk; rather, it requires looking at all the present factors and determining if the patient has a significantly higher likelihood of suffering from medical complications. Some of the factors doctors use to determine if a patient is high-risk include:
- Age
- Weight
- Activity Levels
- Family History
- Symptoms
- Previous and Current Ailments
- Number of Current Medications
- Medication Compliance Rate
Stigma and Mitigation
Many patients cringe at the thought of being labeled “high-risk,” but it shouldn’t be the case. When you think about it, all the label really means is that doctors are more likely to recognize early warning signs of potential complications, meaning they will be more prepared to treat a related condition if one arises.
Also, if a patient is categorized as high-risk, a doctor will have more mitigation strategies to lower a subject’s risk likelihood. Some common mitigation techniques include increased physical activity, anti-inflammatory medications, advanced screenings and regular check-ups.
Dr. Silverman comments
Examining risk factors is one way doctors try to stay ahead of the game.
A constant theme on this blog is the idea that the best way to keep yourself healthy is to prevent an injury from occurring, instead of treating a problem after the fact. This is exactly what doctors are doing when they are examining a patient’s risk factors. They are trying to mitigate the complications of a future problem before they arise, instead of dealing with the aftermath.
The risk factors I look for in a patient are similar to the above list, but I have a few factors of my own. Two areas I frequently ask about are activity level and employment. If you’re a high school athlete, you’re more likely to end up in my office than the average student. Same goes for those people who do manual labor for a living. Simple information about a person’s hobbies can make a world of difference when it comes to keeping them healthy.
For example, if a person with a shallow arch comes into my office, and I find out they are on their feet 40 hours a week, I might recommend custom orthotics so their feet can properly bear the weight. If an athlete comes in with a bunion, I might suggest different shoes if I believe an ingrown toenail could soon follow. It’s all about surveying the patient as a whole, understanding the underlying issue, and preventing common related conditions.