The practice of medicine is so different today from what it used to be. There is so much pressure on providers to see volumes of patients, so many new medications and treatments and conditions to know. With the average medical visit lasting 15-18 minutes, how can you ensure that you are making the most of your clinic visit?
All providers are of course, different in how they approach patient care, what they do and don’t like. Below are some suggestions I make from personal experience, having worked in primary care, urgent care and urology, and from some sound resources (see links below).
BEFORE YOUR VISIT:
1) Have an agenda. Why are you seeing your provider? Think about what you need. Write it down. Make a list of your most important concerns. And, consider keeping that list short. Your provider may have 10 or 15 minutes to take care of you. That is not long enough to deal with several problems. If you need more time, deal with the one or two most urgent needs and schedule another appointment to deal with less pressing concerns.
2) Be honest. It does you no good to lie about your alcohol intake or how often you are taking your heart medication. The quality of care you receive does depend in part upon the quality of information you provide. We cannot effectively treat you if we do not know the truth about what is going on with you. Don’t be shy, lay it out there!
3) Ask questions. We providers love an informed patient. Unfortunately time constraints sometimes mean that the education of our patients is sometimes less than ideal. Medical knowledge is always changing and new treatment and medications become available. When thinking about a scary surgery, I was delighted to find out that I would receive a nerve block to manage pain. It worked beautifully! And because I’d asked about pain management around that surgery, I went into it knowing I would be comfortable. Ask!
4) Do your research. Before going in for your problem, what if you looked up information about your symptoms or problem? Knowledge is power! Now, many providers wince when you bring in ads about supplements, or internet-based information (please see my previous post about trustworthy sources of medical information here: Finding reliable health info online – Health, Hope, Healing (healthhopehealing.net) ). I found this a good time to talk to my patients about their condition or symptoms, and would lead them to better sources of information. Well-informed patients seemed to do better, in my humble opinion.
5) Gather medical information. Yes, it is the responsibility of your medical team to send records when referring you out. I have found it is not wise to assume it has been done. I liked it when patients brought me a list of their past medical conditions, or a timeline of their symptoms or conditions. (I’m a visual gal, it is faster for me to see this information, as opposed to listening to it). It is worth a phone call to a clinic before your appointment to ensure they have received test results or other needed information before your visit. You can ask radiology departments to push imaging or give you or the consultant a CD with imaging. And over time, you can keep copies of your labs, imaging, reports, operative notes, etc. that you can hand carry yourself.
DURING YOUR CLINIC VISIT:
6) Bring family or friends. Especially when receiving test results, it can be helpful to have a second set of ears, or someone who can take notes. Some providers don’t mind if you record a visit on your phone, but others may not allow it. Sometimes that is a facility policy.
7) Ask for an interpreter if needed. Clinics have interpreters that work by video or phone that can help you understand. This is especially helpful with detailed information and sensitive topics, like depression, sexuality or addiction. Interpreters for sign language are also available. While it takes longer to conduct a visit with an interpreter, I felt it always went better for the patient than me trying to draw or mime or use my terrible language skills. Did you know that the words for “surgery” and “sawing” are pretty similar in Spanish?
8) Be on time. I know, we are often sitting around while our providers run late. I am sorry. I know I have run late many a time, and I can only say that I would always give my next patient their due time, too. Things happen, patients have emergencies or come in with 20 problems (see #1 above). Many practices will now cancel an appointment if you are more than 10 or 20 minutes late. It is a common courtesy to be on time and makes your provider’s day so much easier.
9) Plan for downtime. My spouse had a test scheduled today and was asked to bring a book. Great idea! He had a lot of time to read in between the different parts of the test. Since COVID you won’t likely find magazines in the lobby or exam rooms, so bring your own. Or, down time is a great time to close your eyes and meditate, or write in a journal. Or knit or something.
AFTER YOUR VISIT:
10) Leave with a plan. OK, you’ve asked questions and taken notes; what is the plan? Be sure that you understand what comes next. Are you being referred to another provider? Have labs or tests to get done? Have an upcoming procedure? Do you have pre-procedure preparation to plan for? Put reminders for these in your phone or on your calendar.
11) Do your part. If you have been told to change your dietary intake DO IT. If you have been told to try a new medication and have agreed to take it, DO IT, and give it a long enough trial before saying it doesn’t work! We can only help you if you do what you need to do. We are your consultant. We can’t make you do anything, you have to do the heavy lifting yourself. Nothing drives us crazier than patients coming in, again and again, agreeing to do what we recommend and then not doing it. And expecting better results. It’s YOUR job to get well.
It is our job and our pleasure to help you in your journey to wellness. But we need you to be an active participant in the process. Being prepared makes things so much easier all around, and helps us make efficient recommendations to keep you healthy.
Next time, let’s talk about diverticulitis, my old friend. See you again soon! And, don’t forget, you can click the subscribe button on the right screen to get a brief email reminder that the next post is up for your perusal!
How to Prepare for a Doctor’s Appointment | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov)
How to make the most of your Mayo Clinic appointment – Mayo Clinic
I think I am pretty good at preparing for medical visits, but a few times lately things went amuck. Humboldt Co is much slower and less cohesive than Butte Co was and I am not used to it. Nevertheless, I almost did not read this blog because I thought I knew it all, but surprise- some great tips here! Thanks Kathy!