HOW TO PREPARE FOR A DOCTOR’S VISIT

BY DEBORAH JEANNE SERGEANT

With a doctor’s visit averaging around 15 minutes, patients have little time to voice their concerns and receive answers to their questions.

This is why preparing for a doctor’s visit can help them better maintain good health.

“Bring your insurance card and a list of all your medications, including over-thecounter items like vitamins and pain relievers,” says nurse Melissa Nault, primary care quality director with Finger Lakes Health, PC.

Digging through a wallet to find the information or struggling to remember the names and doses of pills wastes the office’s time.

Nault also advises letting the provider know about any specialists seen. Doing so in advance can help providers prepare for the visit.

“Plan to arrive a few minutes early to check in and have your blood pressure, weight and height recorded by the nurse,” Nault added.

This can help patients gain more time with their provider and prevent slowing down the day’s schedule overall, as can wearing clothing that can be easily removed for changing in and out of a gown.

Heather McGrane Minton, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing and director of the public health program at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, advises sharing prerecorded questions based on the patients’ own notes.

“When preparing for a doctor’s visit, preparing by talking to those who you see or communicate with the most to see if they have noticed anything about your health or behavior that they have concerns about,” she suggests.

Recording the provider’s responses can help patients stay better organized and accurate in their home self-care.

Minton also suggests bringing along a family member or other trusted adult particularly if they can advocate for you. “The biggest thing I would impress upon an individual is that as the patient you are the doctor’s customer and you have the right to ask questions and seek clarification on anything that is said or unsaid. And if you do not agree with something that the doctor is saying, ask for more information.”

Especially for those with a life-altering diagnosis or otherwise unusual health history, bringing along another adult can help bring greater understanding and clarity. Oftentimes, care providers can offer so much complex information that it challenges patients to absorb and understand it. Many offices also provide a printout chronicling the visit and access to an online portal.

Patients who want to bring up multiple issues should address their needs while making the appointment to avoid what Louis J. Papa, director of professional licensing and credentialing navigation at URMC, calls “doorknob questions.”

“In primary care, we’re so pressed for time,” Papa says. “We don’t want to have a ‘doorknob’ question where we don’t have time. If you’re worried about some things, do a list of 15 bulleted items; pick the things most important or impactful symptoms, side effects of medication or treatment options. Try not to squeeze two visits into one.”

Patients in most health systems can access an online portal where they can ask brief questions. However, Papa warns against rambling missives.

“Keep it concise,” he says. “Try to limit the back-and-forth as it’s not texting.”

He also encourages reading up on health concerns from reputable medical websites, such as The Mayo Clinic (www. mayoclinic.org), Cleveland Clinic (www. clevelandclinic.org), Web MD (www.webmd.com) and Johns Hopkins (www.hopkinsmedicine.org).

Papa adds that often, pharmacists can answer basic questions about prescription side effects and drug interaction with food, over-the-counter medication and other prescribed medications. By asking a pharmacist, patients can reserve their time with their care providers for questions only they can answer.

“It’s a very strained environment now for most providers,” Papa says. “There’s a shortage of nurses, doctors and everything. There’s a large percentage of nurses that have left medicine and doctors who’ve retired or moved on to other things. Having a plan in place helps the doctor take better care of you.”