Making the Most of a Medical Appointment
I’ve heard a lot of people in the chronic illness community complain about appointments with their doctors or specialists that are less than productive. While we cannot control everything that goes on in the appointment, I do think that there are some things that we can do to try to guide the appointment where we need it to go. This is true whether you are still seeking a diagnosis or whether you have had your diagnosis for some time.
Write down every single thing you need to talk about in that appointment. If you expect to discuss some symptoms or medication side effects, be sure to write down things like when those started and the frequency that they occur. Write down what makes it worse or better, what medications you have tried to use for it (even just over the counter meds), etc. These are questions that your doctor will likely ask, and it is helpful for you to think about it and have it written down ahead of time.
Keep a typed up list of conditions, current medications, allergies, names of your other specialists, etc. We all know that list of questions that the office asks us for every time we visit. If you have a typed list of these things that you update regularly, you can just print a copy to give to your doctor or their nurse when you arrive. This will save them time at the start of an appointment, potentially leaving you with more time to address the reason for your visit. This is also a handy item to carry on you if your condition lands you in the hospital on a regular basis.
Use as much hard data as you can. When I went to my appointment to discuss altering the dosage/frequency on my infusions, I had tracked every infection and every course of antibiotics that was necessary to treat breakthrough infections since my last appointment. These are the kind of specific hard examples that help your doctor more easily gauge what is going on with your health. Some conditions and symptoms are more nebulous, but try your best to be specific about how usable and productive your days really are. You may even want to track it in a spreadsheet or a notebook to help you keep track of the data.
Try to stick with only what is relevant. If you get off topic or go into details about the condition that aren’t relevant to the conversation, you and your doctor are losing precious time together to address your actual concerns. The extra details may also water down the message that you are trying to get across.
Don’t get caught up in your frustration if the doctor is running late. We have all been there, waiting in an office for an hour or more, because the physician is behind schedule. I can say from personal experience that I have certain doctors that will squeeze me in same-day, no matter how busy they are, due to the nature of my disease. Sometimes a particular patient’s issue is more complex than the 15 minute appointment slot allowed for. Give your doctor some grace, because they are most likely running late due to their responsibilities to their other patients. I promise, they hate running behind as much as you do, and you are wasting your time with them by complaining about your wait. One of the easiest ways to avoid a long wait in the office during your appointment is to be one of the earliest appointments in their day.
If you are able, bring someone along with you that can write down notes on what your doctor discusses with you. This may help you better understand what was discussed after the appointment or remember the names of conditions or treatments. Having someone else there ensures that you can be fully engaged in the conversation with your doctor while that person is taking notes. If you can’t bring someone with you, don’t be afraid to take notes yourself, and ask your doctor to repeat important things, if necessary, so that you can jot them down.
If you are seeing an entirely new healthcare provider who has never treated you before, consider bringing some very brief literature on your disease, especially if it’s a rare condition. Another primary immunodeficiency patient recommended this to me. Many doctors have never heard of my specific diagnosis unless they work in the specialty that treats it. It is nearly impossible for primary care providers to know ever single disease. I carry a small book from the Immune Deficiency Foundation that has a section dedicated to the basics of my disease. You could also print out a webpage from a reputable source like Mayo Clinic, the CDC, etc. This may be particularly handy for you in an urgent care or ER setting.
These are just a few things that should help to make your appointments feel more productive and help give your physician the clearest picture of how your health is progressing. They will appreciate your effort to be more clear and concise, and you will reap the benefits of having strategies to prepare yourself for upcoming appointments. If you have any more tips for making appointments more productive, please leave them in the comments for others to see!
Chronically yours,
Jen
