You have a doctor’s appointment. And like most people you go over in your mind what you want to speak with your doctor about when you get there. Whether it’s a routine wellness check-up, a “sick” visit or a follow-up after tests, it’s important to collect your thoughts and get the answers and help you seek.
By finding your voice you can play an active role in your own health care. Open and honest communication between you and your doctor can help you both make smart choices regarding your health, advises the National Institutes of Health.
Pen to paper
Instead of trying to remember everything you want to say, Dr. Rohini Bhat, an internal medicine physician with Edward Medical Group, says if you have questions or concerns, write them down before your visit with the doctor.
“This helps keep your thoughts organized,” she says. “Try to write the ones that are most important to you first so that if the doctor does not have time to go over all your concerns at one visit, the most important ones will have been answered for you.”
Depending on how much is on your mind, having enough time to get everything covered can be a challenge. To address this, Bhat says to show the list to your doctor so if there is anything on it that is of concern to your doctor they can address that first.
“You can always make another appointment to see the doctor to have your other concerns addressed,” she says. “This ensures the doctor will have enough time to address each question completely.”
Also important for making the most of your visit, is to take in all the information you’re receiving. There are a few ways to do this. If the visit is with a specialist or deals with a serious health problem, you may want to consider bringing a close friend or family member with you, advises the NIH.
You or the person you bring can take notes to review later. Too, you may want to consider using a tape recorder during your visit. Just be sure to ask your doctor if they are comfortable with being recorded and explain to them why you’re doing it.
Taking written or recorded information home with you can help you remember information and instructions any time you need to, according to familydoctor.org. This is particularly important if there is follow-up for you do to, like making an appointment with a specialist or scheduling a test.
Keys to communicating
It’s important to be honest and upfront about your symptoms even if you feel embarrassed or shy. Have an open dialogue with your doctor, says the NIH, ask questions to make sure you understand your diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. If you don’t ask questions, your doctor will assume you understand everything you are being told.
“Good communication between patient and provider is extremely important,” stresses Bhat. “It can help ensure that medications are taken correctly and increases compliance. It also increases patient satisfaction about their visit with their doctor. When a patient is comfortable talking with their doctor it encourages them to share information that may be pertinent to making an accurate diagnosis. Effective communication between the doctor and the patient helps motivate patients as well as helps to reassure and support them.”
Tools to help
There are different aids that can help you increase communication with your physician. You may want to consider creating a health journal in a notebook or in a memo on your smartphone to bring to your appointments. Include health history, dates and frequency of new symptoms, as well as an updated list of medications, vitamins and supplements you are taking.
Today, many health care organizations are taking advantage of technology to help physicians and patients better track an individuals’s overall health picture. For example, Edward-Elmhurst Health has an Internet program, MyChart, which provides a way to stay in touch with your own health and communicate with your provider/provider’s office, says Bhat.
“With access to this system it’s easy for us to communicate with our patient regarding any labs or other tests they have had done,” she adds. “We can release the results to them for them to view and also let them know if there are any special instructions.”
Patients can also use the system to send messages to their physicians if they have any symptoms that concern them and they aren’t sure if they need an appointment.
“This is also a way to communicate effectively without having to leave voice messages and playing phone tag,” says Bhat. “People at work who are not at liberty to talk freely are able to communicate using MyChart during office hours. MyChart also allows our patients to make appointments with our providers online.”
The benefit to patients with this type of program, in addition to increasing communication with their health care provider, is that it gives them a history of past office visits, including what was discussed, medications prescribed, follow-up instructions, as well as blood pressure and weight results. There is also a section for test and lab results, providing them with an in-depth record.
Utilizing tools and learning to communicate effectively with your doctor makes you an active partner in your own health, helping you and your doctor improve your health as a team.