Improving communication with your health providers

James D. Lomax, MD
Posted 8/21/12

Advantages of better communication

Open and clear communication between you and your doctor is key to receiving the best quality of health care. It is the responsibility of the doctor or nurse to …

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Improving communication with your health providers

Posted

Advantages of better communication

Open and clear communication between you and your doctor is key to receiving the best quality of health care. It is the responsibility of the doctor or nurse to understand your healthcare concerns and explore symptoms that you may have. It is your responsibility to report in a clear and organized way what worries you and any symptoms you may be experiencing.

Choosing a new doctor

Because of the Affordable Health Care system or your employer changing its insurance, it may be necessary for you to transfer your medical care to a new provider. Selecting a new primary-care provider is frustrating for most of us, but the more you know about the doctor and the practice the easier your choice will be.

List what is important to you in selecting a new provider. It may be the gender of the available primary-care physicians in the plan, or you can ask about the average age of a provider’s patients. It may be the hospital(s) where he or she has privileges, or what languages are spoken in the office. Is the provider board certified? Can you email questions to the doctor? Does the doctor have a philosophy about the use of food, or herbal supplements or alternative treatment methods?

Other questions might be about office location(s), parking, house-call availability, office days and hours including the availability of late office hours, information about emergencies. These are all examples of legitimate questions you can ask before making your selection of a medical provider.

Preparing for your visit

For most practices, the average office call lasts 15 to 20 minutes. If you have a complex medical history and have several chronic health problems, this may not be enough time to address all of your concerns in one visit. You need to prepare for your visit in advance to maximize the effectiveness of your time.

Prioritize your concerns. You may be able to address only one or two issues, and you should schedule a follow-up if there are issues not discussed.

Have available a list of all the prescription medications, vitamins, herbals and any over-the-counter medications that you take, along with information about any results from other doctors that you may see.

If you have hearing or vision problems, make sure you wear your hearing aid and/or your glasses, so you can hear the physician and read any instructions. If necessary, take along a family member or friend to be your backup for any information. The same applies if you need someone to translate if English is not your primary language.

How to characterize your symptoms

Spend time prior to your visit to think how to describe any symptoms you may be experiencing. Be concise and clear. For example, describe when the symptoms are experienced, what makes them worse or better, or how they affect your activities during the day. This is very valuable information for your doctor.

How to ask about medical tests:

In response to a new health problem, or to follow up on existing chronic health problems, medical testing is required. It is important for you to know what tests are being performed. If any of these tests require invasive procedures, it is important to be aware of any dangers or side effects. It is appropriate to ask the provider how the results of these tests will potentially change your treatment or lead to more procedures.

The same applies to introduction of new medication. As we have discussed in other articles, you need to know specifically how and when to take each medication, side effects and its benefit/risk profile. If you do not have prescription coverage, the provider needs to know that you may have problems covering the cost of the prescription.

Considering your treatment options

For many medical conditions, there are various options for diagnosing and treatment, as long as it is not a medical emergency. It is your responsibility to ask if there are other treatment options and what are the risks and potential benefits of each option. With this information, you can make a reasonable, informed decision.

It is also your right to decide not to pursue any particular treatment, undergo surgery, take any particular medication, or just “wait and see” what happens. Your provider will describe any risks if you decide to decline or delay any treatment and may ask you to sign a statement that you acknowledge your decision and its possible outcome(s).

It’s OK to share personal concerns with your provider

Your issue(s) or concerns are of interest to your provider. For most health-care providers, learning about the patient’s fears about memory loss, depression, impotence, fears about falling, prolonged grief or mourning, incontinence, or a long list of other issues are all part of a daily medical practice. Many of these concerns can be addressed or potentially reversed with early evaluation and treatment.

Our next article will address what happens if you are hospitalized and what are your “rights” as an inpatient.

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