Carnet santé works for me

Re: “Online health booklet creating horror stories” (Montreal Gazette, Sept. 30)

Having been diagnosed with cancer, I find myself in the unfortunate position of being able to vouch for the invaluable resources and information provided by the Carnet santé Québec. I consult it often. No, not all of the proposed services are available yet. It is a colossal project. Give it time.

As for the registration process, better that the government err on the side of too much caution when such private information is involved. Beware the nosy parent or neighbour who knows your birthdate and postal code.

It’s true we should never learn about a cancer diagnosis online. On the other hand, if you don’t want to know, don’t look!

Some patients are passive, if not head-in-the-sand about their illness, leaving everything to their doctors. That is their right.

Other patients immerse themselves in every aspect of their treatment, and want to be informed of every snippet of information in their records. That is also their right.

In fact, if we want to optimize our health care, patients should be informed and work with their doctors. The online booklet is an invaluable tool for doing just that.

As for concerns about “Dr. Google,” there are sites that explain medical terms in plain language for the average person. So Google, too, can be an invaluable tool when used discriminately.

Quebec has a system in place that is the envy of many other jurisdictions, flaws and all. And don’t forget — when we travel, we have access to our records to share with medical professionals if the need arises, whether we want to be aware of their contents or not.

An informed patient is an empowered patient.

Kelley Harvey, N.D.G.