Health care providers have a major impact on our health. But our relationships with them are often not the best. We can help them help us by preparing for appointments (like bringing in our questions and our medications). We need to share information (like what’s been happening with us and what we know about our condition). We should ask questions (preferably write them down). We should help them get to know us as whole people without wasting their time on trivia. Learn to communicate and work with them to get the best possible results.
Preparing for Appointments and Calls
Have you ever left an appointment feeling like you didn’t get all of your questions answered? Time with your health care provider is valuable to you. Prepare for visits or calls like you would for a job interview or a business appointment. Know what you want to talk about, write down your top two or three goals for the visit, and share the list with your care providers. Your care providers may have their own goals too. Visits should meet everyone’s needs.
You can also come prepared to share important information about your health you’re your provider. Bring your symptom logs or copies of them with you to visits, as well as a list of your medicines and dietary supplements. Or bring the actual pill bottles, along with records of appointments you have had with other providers. Also bring a written list of questions for the doctor, with the most important ones at the top. Without a list, you’ll forget things, and if you wait until the end of the appointment, the doctor will be too rushed. They may not be able to answer all your questions on the spot, but they should answer the top two or three and get back to you with the other answers within a week.
Don’t wait until the last minute to ask.
Some people wait until the appointment is almost over and the doctor is on her way out the door. Then they ask what’s most important to them. This is a good way to make the doctor late and to not get the answer you need. Even if it’s embarrassing, just bring what’s important to you up early. They’ve heard it all before.
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Active Listening
You should ask questions. But how will you remember the answers, or the other things the doctor tells you? Medical appointments can be stressful, which makes it hard to listen and remember. Most health care providers, especially primary care physicians, are rushed, and some speak in medical language instead of plain language. You can help yourself understand in many ways. Learn more ways to communicate better with your health care provides.