Patient advocates

Advocates have become an essential part of the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, an influential medical meeting. Former oncologist Elaine Schattner explains the change and its importance.

Health care forms increasingly ask about more than just medical history. That's because doctors are beginning to understand that patients' stress, and how and where they live, influence health, too.

A quick prescription and annual lecture from a doctor often aren't enough to help people control hypertension. So some clinics now mobilize teams of health pros to motivate and support patients.

Increasingly, advocates for patients are in the room when big medical studies are designed. They demand answers to big questions: "Will the results of this study actually help anybody?"

In its update of ethics rules aimed at protecting patients, the Obama administration decided against a provision that scientists said would hinder research. Consumer advocates aren't happy.