Ten Tips to Make Your Next Medical Appointment a Success

By Pamela D. Wilson, The Care Navigator, CSA, MS, BS/BA, CG

Ever feel rushed or unimportant when you visit your physician or health care provider? Studies suggest that individuals receive fifteen to twenty minutes on average with their doctors mainly due to insurance regulations. Below are ten tips to make your next medical appointment a success.

1. Create a medication list to take with you to all medical appointments. This should include medications you have taken in the past, why you are no longer taking them, current medications and any supplements or over the counter medications you are taking. You would be surprised to learn that many medications interact with supplements or over the counter medications. It's important that your doctor know all medications and supplements you take.
2. Make a written list of side effects you feel occur as a result of taking your medications. Watch the reaction of your body after taking a new medication as this will help you convey any unordinary feelings, such as nausea, loss of appetite, increase in appetite, fatigue or dizziness to your prescribing doctor.
3. Request and maintain copies of your medical records and tests so that you can bring current information with you to specialists and any other related health care providers. Health records often disappear after a certain number of years or as we change physicians or they retire. You'd be surprised how many individuals can't recite an accurate medical history to their physicians.
4. Make a list of physical or mental changes that you feel or see are happening to you. Describe the symptoms and any concerns that you might have. Confide in your doctor about any stress or embarrassing health concerns that you are experiencing in your life.
5. Make available to your doctor contact information for any specialists or health care providers that you have visited and or are currently visiting to allow them to consult and exchange records with each other. Sign any necessary HIPPA forms to make the exchange of information seamless.
6. Track timing of your next routine tests and or due dates for vaccinations. Examples are blood tests, tetanus shot, pneumonia, flu shot etc. If you do not have a record of this information, ask your physician. Also keep track of the dates of your next medical appointment whether it's annual, quarterly or monthly.
7. Make sure that you receive information on what's next. This includes when your doctor expects to see you again. If you have significant health concerns ask for a prognosis. Physicians rarely talk about the success or failure of medical treatments unless you ask specific questions.
8. Repeat the information and recommendations that your doctor gives you. Make sure that what you heard is what your doctor said or recommended. Take notes and write information down. Invite a family member to attend appointments with you if you have memory loss or difficulty retaining information.
9. Rank questions for your appointment by importance. Make sure that you review all of your information prior to the appointment. This will help in identifying what is most important for you to discuss especially if time is short.
10. If you are unable to discuss everything with your doctor make another appointment or request two consecutive appointments.

Copyright 2011 Pamela D. Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

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