How to get the most out of your doctor appointment

In the era of managed care, a doctor’s appointment can often feel rushed and impersonal. Those 15 minutes or 30 minutes at best don’t always feel like a sufficient amount of time for a thorough and satisfying visit. Therefore, it is vital to make the most of that brief encounter with your physician. You should feel good after your appointment and feel that all your questions, concerns and directives have been clearly addressed. To make your appointment more efficient, it’s helpful to plan ahead and be prepared for what can sometimes be a swift visit. Following are some tips to make it a better appointment.

Before the appointment
· Some sources recommend you bring all your medications to your appointment including prescription medications, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, vitamins and herbal or dietary supplements. At the very least, you should bring a comprehensive written list with the medication names, dosage, frequency and purpose of the medication to reconcile with your physician.
· Write down any questions you would like to ask the doctor. One suggestion is to write down your top three questions you’d like to ask.
· Know or provide a list of current health conditions, past surgeries, illnesses and recent vaccinations.
· Make sure you bring new insurance cards or other new or updated vital documents such as a living will or healthcare power of attorney for the office to photocopy.

During the appointment
· Explain current symptoms, review your health history and discuss any issues with your medications.
· Pull out the list of questions you created and be sure to write down the doctor’s responses. Ask them to repeat or rephrase their answers if you do not understand what they are telling you.
· Be sure to tell a doctor if you have stopped taking any medicines.
· Ask about medication side effects and if it’s okay to take new medications or OTC’s with current medications.
· Ask about recommended activity and exercise levels.
· If you require testing or diagnostics, ask about the procedure and what you need to do in order to prepare for it and how to get the results.
· Tell your doctor whether you are concerned about following his or her instructions.
· Clarify next steps such as blood work, other procedures and follow-up appointments. Write them down or ask for written instruction.

After the appointment
· Be sure to follow the doctor’s orders.
· Immediately get new prescriptions filled and schedule other appointments ordered by your doctor such as blood work.
· If your symptoms get worse, you have problems following or understanding the physician’s orders, call the office.
· Check with the doctor or pharmacist before stopping any medications.

There may also be a point when an older adult may want to have a family member or a health advocate to accompany them to appointments. It is helpful to have a second set of eyes and ears during an office visit. Again, a lot can be going on in a short amount of time, and due to poor hearing, forgetfulness or even early dementia, it can make for an ineffectual visit.

Typically, patients and their families who have better communication with their doctors tend to be happier with their care and have better health care results. Unfortunately, we cannot do a whole lot to control the amount of time we have with our doctor during an appointment, but we can control effectiveness of a visit.