10 Ways To Be An Effective Patient

In the old days when you were not feeling well you would call your doctor, make an appointment and your physician would have plenty of time to discuss what was bothering you, conduct the necessary physical examination and then tell you what your treatment would be.

In recent years things have changed for the better and for the worse.  For the better; treatment plans are now developed in more of a consultative manner which gives the patient more control over their own healthcare. For the worse, the physician now has about 15 minutes in total to spend with you to develop that plan.

As a patient it is our responsibility to make the most of these 15 minutes. Here are 10 suggestions to help do so:

1. Be on time for your appointments and have your insurance information and any necessary referral forms with you.
2. Bring a list of all medications you are taking that includes doses and what you are taking them for. Vitamins and other supplements should also be included on this list.  This list should also include your medication allergies and other allergies as well.
3. Bring copies of all relevant files and reports. When possible, have an extra copy of these documents for the doctor’s files so they don’t have to waste precious time going out and giving it to their assistant to copy or scan into the computer — this includes your current medication list.
4. Don’t assume that your doctor remembers your medical history. If there is something in your background that may be relevant to your current problem, mention it. The average physician sees more patients with increasing complex conditions in a day in a day than anyone could possibly keep track of.  There are probably days when they can’t keep track of their own medical history.
5. Bring a list (written down so you don’t forget anything) of your symptoms that includes when they started and any questions you have for the doctor.  You may be there for one problem, but if there is something else that you think is unrelated; mention it anyway. Let your doctor decide what’s relevant and what’s not.
6. If something the doctor says doesn’t sound right or you don’t agree with it — ask a question. Perhaps your felling will change after you hear the doctor’s reasoning — if it doesn’t, explain the issue you have with it.  A good doctor patient relationship is a partnership — both players have to participate.
7. Tell the truth and follow instructions. If you have no intention of trying to lose weight or lower your cholesterol through diet — be honest about it.  If you’ve been sneaking cigarettes let your doctor know — your wheezing may be more than allergy. He or she may not like what you have to say, but without accurate information, it will make it much more difficult for them to help you.
8. Don’t expect your physician to be able to “solve” every problem on the first visit. Most of the time they will, but it is called the “practice” of medicine for a reason. Even the best hitter in the major leagues whiffs on a pitch. Sometimes it’s because they miscalculated their swing and other times it’s because the pitch was just very tricky. We now have viruses and bacterial infections that didn’t exist ten years ago they can make an accurate diagnosis tricky.
9. Take all medication as prescribed and don’t hesitate to ask your doctor or pharmacist any questions you may have regarding their use or possible interactions.
10. Also remember that your doctor and his or her staff are human just like the rest of us, and occasionally they too, have a bad day. Give them the same benefit of the doubt you will like given to you.