Communicating With Your Doctor

Communicating clearly and fully with your physician is an integral part in helping you to make wise choices as a consumer of health care.  You should be prepared and speak clearly about your symptoms and health care needs when you go to the doctor. We no longer live in a time where a patient can sit passively and wait for a physician to tell them what to do.  As you get more comfortable with your physician-patient relationship it will be easier to ask questions.

Here are some tips to help you to communicate with your physician:

• Make a list of your symptoms before you go to the doctor. For example, if you are experiencing pain note the location, frequency, character, and anything that aggravates it or relieves it.
• It is important to feel comfortable sharing personal information with your MD, otherwise your physician cannot assess the full nature of your symptoms.
• Always keep your health history up to date and bring the list with you so you can recall when you had your last immunizations, mammogram, colonoscopies etc.
• Keep a list with you of all of the medication that you take and the correct frequency, dosages and prescribing doctors. Take it to your appointments.
• It is important to relate if you take any homeopathic medication or herbal preparations as well as they can some times have adverse interactions with other medications.
• Write down the questions that you want to ask before you go to the appointment.
• Hand the questions to the doctor and keep a copy for yourself so that you can take notes as he/she answers them. This way you will not forget to ask any of the questions.
• If you do not understand something, ask the doctor to clarify, give an example, or draw a diagram. The most important thing is that when you leave the appointment you fully understand what is wrong and what you need to do.
• Ask for written instructions or bring a family member or a friend with you to the appointment if think you will be too upset to remember or understand.
• If you are asked to make a decision about your healthcare, and feel uncomfortable or unsure, ask the doctor for some time to think about it.
• Make sure you understand and clarify the instructions you are given about the care you will need to treat a medical issue.
• Clarify when you need a follow up appointment or whether you should call to follow up with the physician.

For additional information, visit Communicating With Your Doctor Resources.

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