How to Be a Good Patient 102

In today's health care environment, doctors are not allotted much time per patient. In a 15-minute visit, your doctor needs to talk to you, examine you, prescribe any medications and document your encounter. There are a few things you can do to get the most out of your visit, even if you only get 5-10 minutes of face-to-face time with your doctor.

· Limit your chief complaint to one issue per visit. When you try to cram every health problem you have or have had into one visit, it is likely none of the issues will get the detailed attention they need to be properly resolved. Schedule another appointment to deal with issues not related to the primary reason you are visiting the doctor.

· Know your health history and the medications you take. It is best to bring everything you are actively taking (including supplements and herbal remedies) with you in a bag or keep a detailed list including the doses and what time of day you take the medication. Keep a list of major health related events such as surgeries, procedures and hospitalizations. Try to include the dates and locations. Trying to remember during the visit takes precious time.

· If you have an ongoing health problem such as diabetes or high blood pressure, keep a log of your blood pressure and blood sugar. It helps your doctor know if your medications need adjusting. Keep up with any medications you’ve been treated with in the past, especially if you did not respond well to it. If you don’t remember the name of the medication that made your legs swell for example, you may wind up getting that exact same medication again. Don’t be afraid to say I took that before and it didn’t work.

· Know your family’s health history. It can provide precious clues to help your physician decide the best next steps to resolving or managing your problem. Keep a list if you have a complicated family history. 

· Focus on current issues. Your doctor will ask you questions to help narrow down the cause of your symptoms. Going on and on about the time you fell off the monkey bars 30 years ago is not likely to be helpful. Mention any surgeries or serious injuries such as fractures, but detailing every single time you’ve ever been hurt isn’t helpful. 

· Be honest. Even if it’s ugly. Your doctor is not there to judge you or spread rumors about you. They need to know if you smoke weed or use coke from time to time. They need to know you have a mistress that you don’t always use a condom with. They need to know if you never filled your last prescription because it cost too much. They need to know you ate 2 slabs of barbequed ribs over the weekend and half of a chocolate cake. Improving your health takes a lot longer when you keep your doctor in the dark.

· Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t understand or agree with something. Nodding and smiling as the doctor describes your treatment plan while thinking ‘I’m not going to do any of that stuff’ doesn’t do anyone any good. Try to negotiate a treatment plan you can actually follow.

Any questions? Ask Dr. Walker