You’ve been waiting weeks to visit your doctor, but when you leave, you still have questions and aren’t sure what your diagnosis means. If this sounds like you, it’s time to work on your doctor-patient relationship.
A positive physician-patient relationship can go a long way toward ensuring that you stay healthy — and that you receive the care you require when you aren’t. Patients who take an active role in their care may feel more in control of their health and well-being and are often more satisfied with their doctors.
Any healthy relationship requires communication, respect, and trust. Here are some suggestions to help you develop a more fruitful relationship with your doctor.
Be Prepared For Your Appointment
Taking a few minutes to prepare for a meeting with your doctor might help you get the most out of your time together. Make a list of your symptoms and how long they’ve been present before your appointment. Include all prescription and nonprescription medications, as well as vitamins and supplements, together with their dosages. If you’ve had lab work or tests done and the results are available, bring them with you.
Be Honest
To give the best possible care, your physician requires complete openness. Your physician cannot help you as effectively if you are not honest about things like having a couple of drinks daily or occasionally skipping your meds. Don’t be embarrassed to be open and honest. Your doctor isn’t flawless, and neither do they expect you to be.
Have Questions
It can be difficult to speak up during a doctor’s appointment if you don’t understand how to take a drug or what you need to do next. However, once you leave the clinic, you are responsible for your own care, so make sure all of your issues, including emotional ones, are addressed.
Request Contact Information
Every doctor has a different preference, and some offices have protocols in place, so it’s vital to ask your doctor how you should contact them if you have a medical problem that occurs outside of normal business hours. When you know how to contact someone ahead of time, you’ll have one less thing to worry about when you’re in the middle of a medical emergency.
Listen
During a doctor’s appointment, there’s frequently a lot of information to take in, especially if you’re dealing with a significant health issue. Because attempting to take in a diagnosis might be distracting, it’s a good idea to bring along a spouse, friend, or family member to take notes and ask questions. Alternatively, you could make a record of your visit so that you can refer to it later. Just make sure you get permission first.
Get All The Information You Were Looking For
It may seem more natural to simply inform your doctor about a specific problem you’re experiencing, such as knee pain. However, it’s just as crucial to convey your reservations about it. Your fear could be about whether you need knee surgery, whether surgery scares you or whether you’ll need someone to watch your children. Your doctor won’t be able to respond to your issues if you don’t express them, and doctors are trained to address your problems as well.
With that being said, make a list of your issues and prioritize them. Make a list of the issues you wish to discuss, and tell your doctor how many are on it before you arrive for your visit.
About Diamond Physicians
At Diamond Physicians, we aim to establish solid relationships with our patients in the DFW area. Contact us today if you need a primary care physician that listens to your concerns and treats you like an individual.