Its Monday at 11 a.m., and you have a visit set for 3 p.m. with yourprimary physician.
Second, the office is likely preparing for a single-issue visit and has allotted your doctors time accordingly.
Below, youll find some guidance for making the most of yourdoctors visitwhether its in person or virtual.
IKON Images/Adobe Stock
Think big picture about your health, not just your immediate needs.
Brief the medical staff on your needs so they can allot enough time for your visit.
Ideally, the more time the better.
Patients should be aware of that.
If possible, be extremely detailed when you brief the practice staff.
So let the staff help you by providing them as much detail as possible.
Create a timeline or big picture of when the issue started and the treatments youve tried.
The better informed the doctor is, the better the visit may go.
Dr. Devine describes an A+ experience involving a patient whod been in an accident.
Its amazing when patients are prepared like that.
But if youre able to do this, it can be really helpful.
If the visit will bevirtual, preparation is especially crucial.
give a shot to verify you have all pertinent information on hand and available to the doctor in advance.
Understand that your visit agenda and the doctors might differ.
Also, keep in mind that the doctor will want to focus on any potentially serious issue first.
If the patient has 12 things on their list, Dr. Devine resets expectations.
Which things are really important to you that you want to confirm we talk about today?
Then I pick a few things that are important to me to address, and we go from there.
Be prepared to share everything that concerns you upfront.
Theres a phenomenon in physician-patient encounters, the hand on the doorknob.
When that happens, its problematic for both parties.
Or the doctor may simply be out of time.
Either way, the situation can make for a less than satisfying visit.
Dr. Devine has developed a method for preventing that dilemma.
If I dont do that, I risk the hand on the doorknob, he tells SELF.
These topics can be difficult to discuss for many potential reasons.
Oftentimes the office can provide this kind of information beforehand.
Having a better understanding often helps reduce anxiety and stress.
(Or that you rely only on resources that draw from those kinds of sources.)
Its also worth asking if the practice can provide or direct you to information to review.
Get back in touch with your doctors office by calling or sending a message online.
Thats a great use for the portal.
Just remember that the portal isnt for emergencies.
