Getting the most Quality Time out of A Doctor's Visit

There are many of us that feel when we see our doctors we are hurried through a visit, don't get to discuss all we wanted to, or get out of the office and remember you have questions that did not get answered and so forth. It seems all of our physicians now are "overbooked" and "under staffed", or they just stretch themselves too "thin", thus we don't get the undivided attention we want and should have when visiting our doctors office. Here is an article about how to make the most out of your doctors visit.

Before I post it, I wanted to give you a few of my tips, even before I read the information. :) I ALWAYS go in with a LIST! I first of all, carry lists of my current medications, my current doctors with phone numbers, addresses, and FAX numbers. I carry a list of EVERYTHING I want to speak to the doctor about, questions, concerns, symptoms, side effects of medications, new things I have read online and so forth. If this is a doctor I don't see very often, I start my list even a week before the appointment. That way I have time to "remember" all of those questions and/or comments I had been thinking about since the last visit. With the age of the internet, if I read an article, see a new medication online, or see anything I think maybe pertinent to my office visit, I print it to take with me. They may not have time to read it then, but it is there to scan over and possibly hold answers for you when they have time to read it. IF the visit is with a brand NEW physician I check to see if they have a website where I can download the new patient information to fill out and take with me. This saves a load of time for you and for the doctor's staff, and the physician. That may lead into giving you more time with the doctor, rather than filling out paperwork in the waiting area. If they don't have a website, and the appointment maybe a month away or more, I ask them if they can mail me the information so I can fill it out ahead of time. If you have had new "procedures", tests and so forth, take copies of those results with you, if possible. I try to get a copy of everything I have done to keep in a file at home. I scan them into my computer, and keep a file on my desktop. Then all I have to do, is print it, update medications and so forth. This saves YOU lots of time hunting for results, or having to wait until the doctor requests the information, thus holding back a possibly diagnosis, or them wanting you to have the test again, and so forth. Now I will post this page about their tips... I will see how closely they are to my way of trying to make quality time with my physicians or what they may also advise...

http://www.lupus.org/blog/entry/getting-the-most-from-your-doctors-appointment?utm_source=Newsletter+10-22-13&utm_campaign=Newsletter+10-22-13&utm_medium=email