How To Prepare For Your Doctor's Visit

There are many blog posts written by patients that talk about ways to promote a relationship between patient and physician. Patients often wait months for their clinic visit and physician have a limited amount of time allocated for each visit. So it is important to come prepared and make the best use of the time.

The physician-patient relationship is a vital one, and I am always thrilled to see patients looking for ways to promote communication and collaboration around care particularly as it relates to management of a chronic disease or long term condition.

As a physician, I think its important to add my input to the conversation and discuss the things patients like you can and should do in order to better the physician-patient relationship, improve communication and help physicians care for your health.

Come prepared

Before work meetings, we research, make notes and prepare ourselves. A meeting with your physician should be no different. Advance preparation will save valuable time. The information you should bring to every doctors appointment includes:

A list of all your symptoms, including vital information like their intensity, when they started and how they have evolved.

An up to date list of all the medications and supplements you take and their respective dosages.

All lab and test results, x-rays and other medical related documentation you have and make sure you have copies of everything - it is your health information!

Dont come alone

Appointments with physicians tend to go by at a whirlwind pace. At the end of the meeting, you are left with a substantial amount of information, recommendations and advice, which can be overwhelming. I highly recommend you bring a family member or friend along with you. During the appointment your companion will be able to take notes, ask questions and follow the conversation, helping to ensure you dont miss out on anything.

Use the time together wisely

The clinic time is packed with everything that needs to get done. You do not want to miss out on things that are important to you, so I recommend patients make a prioritized list of questions and topics they want to discuss.

Be honest

Your physician needs you to be completely honest. They need to know if you forget to take your medications, if you dont follow your diet and why. Even if you think the physician will be disappointed with you, the information is still vital in order to allow them to care for your health.

Dont just share your chief complaint, share your chief concern

Your health complaints are important and its crucial that you share them, but your emotional health is equally important. Please share your worries and concerns. Only by doing so can the physician take everything into consideration when creating your care plan. If a recommendation doesnt seem doable, a medication isnt working or if you are struggling with instructions, it may be time to reevaluate the care plan and adapt it to better suit your lifestyle and needs.

Ask questions

The physician job is to create and explain the recommended care plan. Your job is to make sure you understand it and are able to follow it. Keep asking questions until all the information is clear and make sure to let them know if you if cant comply. If you ever have questions, be sure to have contact information during after hours.

Track your own health

Your health and general feeling probably fluctuate and change throughout the day, the week and the month. Its important to keep an online or offline tracking of the way you feel, side effects you may have and any physical or emotional swings you may experience. For more information, check out GeneFos intelligent self tracking tool that provides insights about progress over time.