Meeting with a doctor can be intimidating. It can feel like they have “secret” information about our health, and they hold all the power because they decide which of our health concerns are treated and how. Patients need to be their own health advocates! We want to be sure that we leave each appointment feeling like our concerns were heard and our questions answered.
But how do we do that?
Make a list.
This may sound simple, but it is a crucial step in getting the most out of your appointment. The night before, or a couple of days before, sit down and make a list – on paper, in your phone, whatever works – of questions you have about your health that you would like to address. Ask loved ones for their input as well, particularly if they aren’t going to the appointment with you. They can remind you about physical complaints and symptoms you may have experienced over the past few months. They also may have questions about your current care that only your provider can answer. Be sure to hold that list in your hands while you wait for your provider to enter the exam room; that way, you don’t leave it in your pocket or your purse and forget to bring it up!
Clear communication.
If your health has changed since the last time you met with your doctor, it is worth bringing up whether you think it is “nothing” or “not a big deal.” It might be a missing piece for your doctor. Providers don’t know what is going on with you unless you tell them, and your chart doesn’t tell them everything.
An example: Patricia has been experiencing extreme fatigue over the past few weeks. It has made it hard to get out of bed multiple days a week and made her fearful of driving. She goes to visit her doctor for her annual checkup, and when asked how things have been going, she responds with, “Fine, I’ve just been tired.” The provider seems sympathetic but continues with the rest of the standard appointment. Patricia leaves the appointment frustrated. Obviously, Patricia didn’t get what she needed out of that appointment. Her provider wasn’t aware of this lack because Patricia didn’t clearly communicate what was going on with her.
How can we prevent this scenario from happening? Let’s go back to that list again. When listing concerns before her appointment, Patricia could have noted when she began feeling extremely tired and how it has affected her life. Symptom, duration (how long the patient has felt the symptom), and impact/intensity are critical points of information to share with providers.
Here’s an example of a clearer way for Patricia to share her health concern: Patricia’s doctor asks how things have been going, and she responds, “I’ve been really tired lately. I started noticing this maybe about a month ago, and it is sometimes very hard for me to get out of bed. Sometimes I am nervous about driving because of how tired I am.” This indicates to the doctor that this symptom has been occurring regularly and has a significant negative impact on the patient’s life. Prompting additional questions about the quality of sleep, changes in diet/activity level, etc., to help determine any other tests to run to determine the cause of the fatigue. When you make your list of concerns, be sure to include information about how long the issue has been going on and its effect on your life.
Ask questions.
Doctors are medical experts, but it is YOUR life and YOUR health, so ask questions! There are no stupid questions when it comes to taking care of your health, and your provider would much rather clear something up in the beginning than treat you for a misunderstanding.
- If you are being prescribed a new medication, ask when you should start feeling the positive effects of the medication or any negative side effects it might have.
- If you worry you might have trouble affording a medication, ask if there are samples you can try initially to make sure the medication works, or if they know of a medication assistance program they might be able to help you enroll in.
- If you are recommended for surgery, ask about the recovery time, what kind of function you should expect to get back and how quickly. What happens if you do nothing?
- If you are given a concerning diagnosis, ask the provider why they think you have the condition and ask how much time you have to think about it before making a treatment decision.
There is a growing movement in medicine for “shared decision making” in which providers are encouraged to sit down with their patients and talk about treatment options and actively include the patient in the decision-making process instead of the provider just telling the patient what is going to happen without the patient’s input. This technique is hard to accomplish when doctors spend, on average, about 17 minutes with each patient. However, if you advocate for yourself and start asking these techniques, you can encourage your provider to engage in shared decision-making with you.
When you bring a concern to your doctors, it is their responsibility to address that concern either through testing or explaining to you why they are not concerned about it, in a way that you can understand. If your doctor seems annoyed by your questions, it might be time to find a new provider. We hope these tips will help you get what you need from your next appointment.
Do you have any other tips to add to this list? Leave a comment or let me know at erin@vbcf.org.
