Making Minutes Count With Your Doctor
AOMA Exam Room Checklist
We all know According to Dr. C. Everett Koop, the key to good health today depends on good communication between the patient and the physician or healthcare provider. This means taking charge of your own healthcare by being an informed and assertive patient ready to discuss specifics that will help in the diagnosis. After all, you're the one who will live with the outcome of the treatment so understanding the information you need to give your physician is paramount.
We all know that going to the doctor isn't like it used to be. For one thing doctors are seeing more patients and are under enormous time pressures. And, healthcare plans are causing us to change doctors more frequently so you also may not have a long history with your physician or health care provider. Therefore, taking time to prepare questions and information in advance will give you a head start.
The Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association (www.az-osteo.org) recently surveyed their physician members to learn from the source what type of information doctors hope their patients will be able to provide during the office visit. Here are their top suggestions for you to consider.
1. Write down your symptoms or complaints at home where you can spend the time to think about how you feel.
2. Bring a list of all medications (including vitamins and herbal remedies) and daily doses. You can bring prescription bottles for accuracy in reporting
3. List your past medical history including surgeries or procedures.
4. List any allergies to food or drugs.
5. Mention any family history that might be important.
6. Talk about any religious practices that can impact treatment.
7. List anything that may have contributed to your problem such as travel, strenuous activity possible
exposure to contagious disease.
8. Don't skip your social history. If you drink alcohol take drugs or smoke, say so. Also mention anything
unusual such as work environment, death or divorce.
9. If you are feeling badly or have a language problem, bring a friend to help you understand and
remember instructions.
10. Tell your physician what your goals for health are, what you expect to happen and how you define
being healthy.
If you're in the office and fully prepared with your list and your provider won't listen to your questions, "Ask again", says Scottsdale physician Benjamin Sucher, D.O. "You have a right to know."
What if the problem is embarrassing and a receptionist asks you to describe the problem? You can simply ask to speak to either a nurse or the doctor. But remember that if you want your provider to give you the best possible care you have to be straightforward and honest. You may be surprised at how easy the answer is.
According to physician Robert Kessler, D.O. "It takes the average physician 6 minutes to determine the diagnosis and decide on a treatment for the chief complaint. The rest of an office visit is often "social". But, it is information gotten during this seemingly social aspect of the visit that often makes a difference,
or gives insight into family issues that are important in ways we did not expect when dealing with the chief complaint. It is a time we can elicit an unexpected history that the patient was reluctant to bring up until asked. This is the ART of medicine".
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