Content Overview 
- Summary
- Tell The Doctor Everything That He Or She Needs To Know
- Be Open And Honest With Your Doctor
- Ask Everything You Need To Know
- If You Are Asked A General Question, Answer It Precisely
- Use Medical Terms Whenever Possible
- Be Sure You Understand What The Doctor Tells You
- If You Ask Questions About Research You've Done Or Information You've Learned, Give The Doctor A Copy Or The Citation
- Learn What To Do If You Have Additional Questions
- Let The Doctor Know What You Hope To Accomplish In The Meeting
- Keep The Playing Field Level
- Don't Expect The Same Relationship With All Your Doctors
- Be Proactive
- Do What You Are Comfortable With To Make Yourself An Individual To The Doctor
- Expect The Best From Your Doctor
- If You Are Age 65 or Older, Watch For Doctors Who Think About Your Age Before Your Symptoms
- Learn How To Deal With Problems That May Arise In Meetings With Doctors
- At The End Of The Appointment, Recap What Happened. Ask Where To Learn More. Keep Your Other Doctors To Date
- If You Are Grateful To Your Doctor, Show It
- Do Not Avoid Sensitive Subjects
How To Maximize Limited Time With Your Doctor
Summary
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There are three goals to accomplish during your limited time together with a doctor:
- Help the doctor fully understand your medical situation.
- Get answers to your questions and concerns.
- Understand the doctor's recommendations.
Following are guidelines and tips to help accomplish those purposes. Click on the links to learn more about the subject.
Prepare for the meeting
- Keep track of your symptoms: what they are, how long they last, the severity, what helps, what doesn't
- Make notes about your questions. Before going to the meeting, prioritize them in order of importance so you at least get to ask the important ones during the meeting. (We supply a prioritizer that allows you to make notes as you think of them, then prioritize them just before going to the meeting)
- Take someone with you as a patient advocate for support, to help ask questions and to discuss what happened after the meeting.
- Take a recorder with you (for example, in a smart phone) to record the meeting so you can review what was said later. Also take a pad and pen to make notes in case the doctor doesn't allow recordings
- Check your insurance to be sure approrpriate steps have been taken for the meeting to be covered
- Check with the doctor's office before the meeting to be sure all test results and the like are received before the meeting.
- Look over our article about overcoming bumps in the road "just in case" any appear during the meeting, you'll be prepared with what to do.
- If you are uncomfortable discussing embarrassing subjects, write a script and rehearse it in front of a mirror.
- For additional information about preparing for a medical meeting, click here.
Help the doctor fully understand your medical situation.
- Be open and honest with your doctor.
- Tell the doctor everything that he or she needs to know.
- Use medical terms whenever possible.
- If you are asked a general question, answer it precisely.
Get answers to your questions and concerns.
- Keep in mind that you are a consumer of healthcare. The best way to make decisions is to be informed.
- Ask everything you need to know.
- Be sure you understand what the doctor tells you.
- If you have done research about your condition or treatment from another source, give the doctor a copy or the citation. Ask the doctor's opinion about the information rather than using it to confront him or her.
- Find out what to do if questions arise after the end of your meeting with your doctor.
Understand the doctor's recommendations.
To be sure you understand what the doctor tells you, consider the following ideas:
- Record the session if the doctor lets you. Patients "immediately" forget 40% to 80% of what the doctor told them according to a 2003 paper in Britain's Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
- At the end of the appointment, summarize your understanding of what you were told.
Additional helpful tips
- At the beginning of the meeting,
- Make a human connection. Doctors are people. Maybe break the ice with something as simple as: "How is your day going?"
- Let the doctor what you hope to accomplish in the meeting.
- Stay on point. Oversharing information which is not related to your medical concerns takes time away from the things you care about.
- Keep the playing field level so you feel as if you and the doctor are equal partners in your health care.
- Let the doctor know what you can afford. If you cannot afford a prescripton or treatment, perhaps the doctor can suggest an alternative. You can also ask him or her to help you prioritize your medications, so you know which ones you can skip and which ones you must take.(Also see: su#mce_temp_url#)
- Do not expect the same relationship with all your doctors.
- Be proactive.
- Do not avoid sensitive subjects.
- If your doctor suggests something that you know you cannot do, tell your doctor so he or she has an opportunity to come up with an alternative that works for you.
- Try to make yourself an individual to the doctor in whatever manner works for you. Telling about your personal life helps. So does showing concern for the doctor's life and schedule.
- Expect the best from your doctor.
- If you are over age 65, watch for doctors who think about your age before your symptoms.
- Learn how to deal with problems that may arise in meetings with doctors.
- If you do not accomplish everything you need to accomplish, ask the doctor when you can speak again on the telephone.
- If you are grateful to your doctor, show it.
- Follow up with whatever you are supposed to do, including filling prescriptions (and taking the drugs as prescribed), arranging for follow up tests or doctor appointments etc.
NOTE: To watch techniques that can help when talking with your doctor, see Meret's Oppenheim's video: Talking With Your Doctor.
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