In today’s world of modern medicine, it can be scary, overwhelming, expensive, and time-consuming to go to the doctor’s office. From having to get everything with your insurance sorted out to sitting in the waiting room for longer than expected, calling the office to make an appointment is likely the last thing you want to be doing. But when visiting a medical professional is a necessity, you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of that visit. To help with this process, here are three tips for having a successful doctor’s appointment.
Keep A Running List of Your Medical Questions
You’ve likely experienced the situation of having an important question to ask your medical provider, getting to the office, and then completely forgetting about the question you had until you’re back home after your appointment. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you again, the Center for Advancing Health recommends for people to keep a running list of their medical questions to ask their doctor.
While in your appointment, it’s also important to ask any questions brought up by your conversation with your provider. These could include, but are not limited to:
- What does my diagnosis mean?
- Should I get a second opinion?
- How will this medication affect me?
Be sure you get all the answers you need from your doctor before you leave the office to ensure you don’t have to make another appointment just for the sake of clarification.
Be Open and Truthful When Answering Questions
Along with getting the answers you need, you must also give the doctor the answers necessary for properly diagnosing you. According to a study done by Columbia University and reported by Women’s Health Magazine, more than 50 percent of women ages 25 to 49 don’t answer doctor’s questions truthfully. Not only is this dangerous for your relationship with your doctor, but it can also result in misdiagnosis or prolonged diagnosis for issues you’re currently suffering from. To find the best answers for your medical mysteries, your doctor must have all the correct information, regardless of if you think it’s embarrassing or irrelevant.
Try to Build A Rapport With the Medical Staff
WebMD states that not only are doctors helpful medical personnel, but the rest of their staff can be great resources for information as well. By building a rapport with people like medical assistants and nurses, you can make the most out of your doctor appointments by getting tailored medical attention and access to more information and options. Nurses and medical assistants are often the front line of a doctor’s office, meaning they are the first ones to familiarize themselves with you and your medical history. Having a solid relationship with these key medical staffers can be of great help to your time spent in the doctor’s office.
If you are able to keep these three tips in mind the next time you visit the doctor, you just might find that you have a better experience and more customized care given to you than you’ve ever had before. Just remember to ask your questions, answer their questions, and work on trusting each medical professional in the office.