When your doctor gives your collection of symptoms a name, you have a diagnosis. And you have a disease. What you don't have is good treatment. A diagnosis is just the starting point on a path leading, one hopes, to therapy and a cure. To turn those hopes into reality, patients need information and support, and doctors don't always provide that along with the diagnosis.

To fill in the gap, try glancing through "Next Steps After Your Diagnosis," a brochure published this week that can be found online at www.ahqr.gov. It's produced by the federal government's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Frankly, you've read some of this material before. The brochure suggests that you take time, don't rush decisions, and get support from family and friends–hardly surprising advice. But sections called "Talk with your doctor" and "Seek out information" are much more useful. Lots of people, especially those with frightening and life-threatening illnesses, have trouble communicating with medical specialists–those white coats can be intimidating–and therefore don't get answers to questions that are important to them.

The brochure provides a handy list of 10 questions you can carry into the doctor's office, questions such as "How soon do I need to make a decision about treatment?" and "What are the pros and cons of any treatment options?" Patients are also encouraged to seek second opinions from other doctors, and they are reminded that doing so isn't considered pushy or rude. (If a doctor does think such a course is rude, it's time to get another doctor.)

Then there's the task of getting good information about your condition. Do you know about "evidence-based" medicine? You should, and the brochure will tell you that it's information about treatment options backed up by the latest scientific evidence. This info comes from clinical trials of new treatments and from outcomes research on existing treatments. The brochures lists 10 places you can find such information, ranging from the www.medlineplus.gov website run by the National Institutes of Health to the National Guidelines Clearinghouse, at www.guidelines.gov, which lists medical practice guidelines for particular diseases.

Perhaps the most important section is left for the end of the brochure: "Where to find more information." This is a fairly extensive listing of organizations, phone numbers, and websites that provide even more detailed advice than you can get from the brochure itself. Clip it and save.

For more info on diseases, conditions, tips for better health, and how to be a smart patient, go to our new, comprehensive site, usnewsbesthealth.com.