Tips to Get the Most From Your Doctor Visits

This is very good advise. My very good friend is a dentist in a big hospital so when ever I need a doctor all he says is come with your old report and we would see what to do if anything needed to do. And then he would take me to the specialist which I wanted to see. But now I know how to be ready to face the doctor. Thanks for sharing .

Great advice! I am one of those that hasn't been to the doctor in years, this hub will help me prepare for my upcoming visit!

Really good article! The information is very useful. I have been saying for years, I am going to be prepared by writing my questions down before going to see the doctor. Keeping a journal is so helpful, and a practice I really should do. Reading your hub is that extra reminder to JUST DO IT, and stop saying it. Thanks for a great hub. Congrats on your hub of the day.

Top-notch info for patients and/or their advocates. You offer important advice that should be taken to heart.

Sharyn, Congrats to HOTD award! It is well-written, with very good advice.

I have been writing basic info on my health, as well as any questions for my doctor for about 5 years now, and it is so much more efficient. I remember the days of feeling unprepared, and forgetting what I was going to ask. But with a list, you can focus on what is most important, and make sure the visit is as productive and informative as it can be.

Good job on your hub!

Great hub! Voted up and useful!

Interesting and useful hub. Voted up.

Interesting article! I love how you really are your own advocate. I, for one, will not see the doctor. I know that's bad, but I'm a believer in simple and natural. Then, if I'm really concerned, I'll go. But, I don't like doctors. At all, lol. This hub is awesome, though! Nice job!

I am so glad you wrote this hub. It is extremely important, especially for older people. As far as advocating, my dad told his doctors for months that he thought he had consumption while they treated him for pneumonia. My sister finally requested they test for TB. Of course, when the test was positive, they realized they had lost all those months of treating the TB. I could write a book about similar events with friends and family. I think it's so important that our doctors listen to us. You have wonderful suggestions for making that happen. I always enjoy your hubs and find them useful.

My husband is becoming hard of hearing at 67 and I worry about him going to appointments alone because he misunderstands things to a point that is almost comical if it weren't sad. He's very independent and would have a fit if I asked to go with him. Speaking as one, at 66, older people are their own worst enemies!

Voted up.

marsei

Thanks for the very helpful hub. Up, Useful, Interesting, shared, and bookmarked.

Great tips and important information. I wrote a similar hub almost 3 years ago. Unfortunately it's gotten virtually no traffic. I've considered unpublishing it, but I send the link to friends and colleagues from time to time.

Sharon, I've come by this hub a few times and it appears 'goofy me' did not leave a comment. First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS on your Hub of the Day a couple of days ago. This honor is definitely well deserved. You've laid out some very useful and important information here. We've been dealing with lots of appointments for our parents lately and it can be difficult to keep up with all the details. Thank you so much for this well laid out hub - great job as always!

tweeted!

Great advice! Recently, I was ushered by my doctor to a specialist's clinic in order to remove the Molluscum contagiosum nodules on my face.

I didn't visit the specialist immediately. I asked the second opinion of my friends.

They also suggested other dermatologists who ask cheaper payment for my face-problem.

To cut the long story short, I was able to convince the doctor's aesthetician (the one who cauterized my face) to give me discount.

Referrals will always come in handy in the medical field.

Treatments should not be expensive, if a patient has a healthcare fund to provide for emergency payment.

As for me, I can't use mine because it's not included in the list of diseases that should cover such payment.

This is great advice. The suggestion of having someone accompany you to the visit becomes increasingly important in the eighties. My Mother and Daddy always had one of us girls go with them to their appointments when they in their eighties. It just made sense and often avoided confusion. So glad you shared this information.

Congratulations on hub of the day.

You are so oooo right with all your helpful suggestions. And going WITH someone is a priceless tip, especially on consultations. When you get good or bad news, you tend to reel and not take in what is being said.

Congratulations on Hub of the Day. It is such a useful good Hub. Voting.

Useful and informative hub!

Congrats for well deserved HOTD.

Uh--yeah--your first point: Your doctor WORKS FOR YOU! Not the other way around, as some HMO's (Kaiser in particular), and county health clinics seem to think, making you jump through all kinds of hoops, and assigning random appointments without consulting you first.

The first time I went to my new doc at the county clinic, I had just such a list (it had been some years since I'd needed to see a doctor at all), and when she asked me why I was there, and I told her I had a list, she snapped, "Well, you'd better prioritize; you've got 15 minutes!"

I was a bit stunned, but reacted by basically ignoring that statement, and proceeding with my list. In the end, I WAS there longer than the 15 minute 'allotted time.'

That really pissed me off, though--how dare they take the attitude that it's all about cramming through as many people as they can without giving proper and thoughtful attention to each patient! I hope no one reading this ever has to depend upon free health care--it isn't worthy of the name. For in the end, all they did was to send me for a passel of tests, and refuse to provide any of the treatments suggested by the test results!

Voted way up, and shared.

This is amazing, nothing but positive comments! There is a growing percentage of the population who are becoming aware that the US medical industry is set up to keep the people drugged, dying and near bankruptcy. (This becomes even more obvious if you go to a doctor outside of the US, Canada and Europe.) But maybe these people don’t usually bother with something as mainstream and politically correct as hub of the day, hence I’m the first one to comment here.

The most important thing to ask your doctor is “Do you prescribe drugs?” If he says yes, run out the door.

There are a lot of doctors who have given up their drug pushing careers and decided to actually help people get healthy, such as Dr. Mercola, Dr. Lorraine Day, Dr. Carolyn Dean, Dr. Caroline Barringer, Dr. Teitelbaum, to name a few. Some may want to check them out on the internet. (I don’t get anything from this other than the satisfaction of possibly saving a life or two.)

Apples help keep the doctor away, but here’s two interesting ways to find out what the healthiest super foods are: 1) Go to an alternative news source (it will get filtered out of the mainstream news) and find out what the latest SWAT Team raid was about. Likely someone was guilty of possession of a healthy food or natural cure such as raw milk or apricot kernels. 2) Go to the FDA website and put in the search bar “warning letter”. You will get a list of warning letters that the FDA has sent to companies who are selling or promoting super healthy foods. (These letters are a precursor to the SWAT Team raids.)

You may want to make a list of your findings and EAT MORE OF THAT STUFF.

Tips I need to learn to live by since I do spend quite a bit of time with my doctor. And I spend it there for a condition that isnt real well known - even in the medical field. I need to be my own advocate and I really should write things down more often. Congrats on HOTD =)

Sharon - you have another great hub here1 Well worth Hub of the day! Congratulations on that, and for providing a wealth of information that should come in handy for so many!

Thanks for the very useful and important advice to help people prepare for a doctor visit, Sharon. Congratulations on Hub of the Day, too!

Great Hub! Congratulations on Hub of the day!

Congratulations on making Hub of the Day!

Congratulations for earning Hub of the Day for this important and well organized article. Your suggestions are excellent and can help ensure that patients get the most benefit from each contact with their doctor or health care provider.

During the past few years my own doctor has incorporated computers into her practice and I am now given a visit summary which makes it easy to remember what was discussed and to keep the info in a personal file.

Voted up across the board except for funny.

Great advice. Many people will benefit from this worthy hub.

Great info. Congrats on Hub of the Day!

These are really useful tips. I think by bringing a list of questions or information the doctor visit will be so much more productive. Congratulations on Hub of the Day.

Living in a hurry life, this is really important and helpful information for us!

Congrats on this hub of the day! It is excellent and very thorough!

You've done an excellent job with this hub. I especially like the note for the doctor's visit. It's a sure way to remember what I need to discuss with my doc.

But, there've been times I've gone in knowing exactly what I needed to ask only to be rushed through by my doctor or distracted by something else.

Thanks for sharing, and congrats on being awarded the HOTD. Voted Useful!

Congrats on getting HOTD for this fantastic article! Having a husband who is a doctor, I've heard stories about many of this aspects that you've covered. A lot of patients don't understand how much they need to put into an appointment to have a productive session and just assume that doctors can work wonders on anyone. Simple steps like bringing a list of your medications and writing notes ahead of time about your current medical concerns can make a huge difference. Thanks for the wonderful resource.

What an excellent hub this is. Additionally, being in the healthcare customer service field, I can see how complaints would greatly diminish if people would follow these rules; patients need to keep records of conversations, paperwork, and anything else discussed in an office visit.

Voted up and congrats!

John

Good hub! I think sometimes people can expect too much from those that are considered to be experts. It helps to remember that no one knows more about your body than you. I think the medical journal is a good idea, especially in the case that you have to change providers.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! HUB OF THE DAY!!!! YOU'VE EARNED IT, SHARYN!! PEACE, PAULA AKA EFFER

This is an excellent Hub to remind us what to do when seeing a doctor. I keep a medical journal that is invaluable. I also make a list before I see him so I don't forget to ask something.

Congrats on HOTD. I voted this Hub UP and will share.

Great ideas! Taking someone with you is a good idea, especially an older person who is forgetful and may not remember what the doctor said. Nice list, well laid-out hub. Congrats on HOTD! You go, girl!

I agree that the list of questions is key to being prepared and getting the most out of your doctor's visit - also for parents taking the kids to the doctor or children taking elderly parents to the doc. This is a very well organized and interesting hub about an important topic. Way to go for the Hub of the Day!

Excellent choice of topic Sharyn and yeah I truly appreciate the idea of a list to take with you to any appointment. We forget that these professionals are actually trained to help us but they need information from us, as a starting point. One tip, don't leave it too long between visits or the list can spill into next week and the next appointment!

Congratulations on hub of the day. This is great advice for seeing a doctor - having a list not only helps in making sure that everything was discussed, but at the end of the visit, you can look at it again to make sure that all of your questions were answered and/or you received all your prescriptions and follow up information you needed.

Hi Sharyn - this is a very useful subject and will be a boon to many patients . Well written and highly effective. Thanks. As a Medic I do value a 'well prepared' patient but I as a medical teacher I also ask doctors to be patient, empathetic, seek clarification n and take a narrative history of not only the medical problem but also other factors that impact on care.

voted up, of course! congrats on HOTD.

Such an awesome hub! I can't believe I hadn't commented on it before. :P Totally awesome that it got HOTD, well deserved. :)

Sharyn, Good Timely Advice that we all can use. The List is a Great Idea, no matter what kind of a Doctor it is, even a Dentist. However, I did tell him, the "Crown" was removable, and guess what, he still DRILLED right through it on my next visit! Some professional's just Don't Listen!

You're a GOOD daughter, Sharyn!

Good advice. It's work to go to the doctor and take care of your health, it is good to find ways to pinpoint problems and remember to talk to the doctor about them. And it's good to remember that the doctor is supposed to be helping us, not us to be catering to them.

All good advice. How frustrating is it when you get in the car after your doctor's visit and think, "Oh, I should've asked him this?" So much on our minds we often forget the important things.

Another issue with many people is that they are afraid of their doctors...what? Why would you go to someone you're afraid of? You are so right, the doctor works for us and we need to be able to talk to him.

Voted up, useful and interesting.

Great information here to remind us all of the small and necessary details of a doctor's visit. I never even thought of bringing a list, but it is such a good idea. I will do next time. I bet it will make a difference, since I always feel like I forgot something when my appointment is through. Thanks!

This is actually excellent advice - a family member is a doctor who works in a same day surgery center - he has to review health history with every patient. He gets so upset when he asks when the last time they went to the doc was and they say "I don't go to the doctor!". Ok well...how the heck are they supposed to know how to operate for your emergency? People - could DIE because they don't know their own needs - if you want to live you've got to get check ups and have a health history for docs to work with:))

Sharyn, this is a great hub! You are right, the doctor works for us, not the other way around. I have had some arrogant doctors who have become offended by me questioning a method. I wasn't questioning the doctor, just not understanding the method being suggested.

I am terrible about keeping a journal, but I am getting better about keeping a list of questions to ask. It is so helpful to write something down when it is fresh, rather than waiting and usually forgetting when I get to the office. And having that second pair of ears (and a person who knows you well enough to maybe insert a question you didn't think of) is the best idea when you are going in for something serious.

Everyone needs to be aware of this information! Great Job! Votes and Shares!!

Oh Sharyn....great topic. I often want to take someone by the hand and accompany them to the Dr. It is sad and frustrating to me, how most people are hesitant and/or reluctant to speak openly and honestly with their Dr.

Much more annoying is when I hear someone tell me that they asked their Dr. NO QUESTIONS!!

I hope EVERYONE reads your hub!! UP+++

Sharyn, this is an important topic for a hub. So many patients do not understand that they are the customer when it comes to doctor's visits. I have to prep my mother-in-law so she can get the information she needs from her doctor. Voted up and shared! Kelley

I need to use your advice here. I am always nervous going to the docs. Having someone close to you to go with you is a good idea. Writing down a journal of what's going on is good to! I am really impressed how you format your hubs too! Great job here!

Excellent reminder to us all. Without a list, it is so easy to leave the doctor's office without getting the answers you needed.