Have you been making mistakes that cause you not to get the most out of your medical appointments?
I've been working as a consultant physician for 28 years now and these are the mistakes I've seen.
This video is about the top three common mistakes that people make that can cause them to get less
out of their doctor's appointments. There are many other tips which I will touch on in other videos.
The more that you're prepared for the visit the more you will get out of it.
The visit will also run much more smoothly for your doctor.
Medicine can be difficult for physicians. Remember your doctor may be on call and inundated with
hospital responsibilities other office or other medical responsibilities while you are there.
The first important point is to know your medical history. It's a great idea to review your medical
history before your appointment because physicians are obviously going to ask you questions about it.
Often relevant details are not always recalled by patients. Patients often forget to tell me
things during a visit. They may be nervous or perhaps there's a lot of information to tell me
and they simply forget something. Being prepared is important. It's a good idea for you to have a
document on your computer or phone that lists all of your medical history. Documenting this
or writing this down on paper it's very helpful. A photo of this on your cell phone can be helpful
so that you do not miss any details at your visit. Your family physician or primary care provider may
be able to give you a copy of your medical profile which we often call the Cumulative
Patient Profile. It's a one or two page summary of your medical history. It's based on all the data
that they've collected over the years on you. Some patients are referred to me without this profile.
Those patients referred to me from emergency departments for example often do not include
such information as your medications, your past medical history, or anything else that's relevant.
Many patients who are referred to me think that I have access to all of their medical history
which is simply not the case. So ultimately it can be worthwhile to create your own document
which would be a moving target you would update from time to time. In terms of your medical
history this will become indispensable to you if you end up in the emergency department especially
if you're out of town or even out of country after all we all sometimes need to go to the ER.
The triage nurse in the ER will ask you about your health and medications not just the reason
why you're there. It's helpful for the emergency room doctor who will see you to know your general
health as often one of your medical problems that you present with could be relevant to the reason
why you're presenting that particular day. An increasing number of my patients that I see now
in my office bring a document that they've created themselves outlying their entire medical history.
This is always very helpful to me and it's always nice to see when I visit with a new patient.
It also tells me that this patient is engaged about their health.
The different headings of your health care information are listed on this particular slide.
You should document the history of the illness that you have currently that you're seeing the
doctor about. You should do this part every time that you're going in to see the doctor about a new
specific problem. If you have a specific concern you should always lead off with that concern.
It's never a good idea at the end of the visit to mention the chest pain that's been concerning you
or the lump that you want to show your doctor. Remember to always lead off with
the most important concern. The next thing you need to know is a list of medications.
This is an important tip. When it comes to the medication list it's important to write down
the name of the medication, the amount that you take, and its frequency. Having a photo of the
medication list on your cell phone or a small piece of paper with medication in your wallet
can really help you. Many medical problems are side effects to drugs. Many drugs can work against
each other. Your doctor needs to know what pills you're taking so that we can adjust them for you
to optimize your health. I note that it's very difficult for people to remember the exact names,
and how to say the medication names, and of course the exact amount, and the frequency
especially when you're not feeling well if you're in the emergency department.
This of course is going to be one of the first questions that you're going to get asked whether
it be in the emergency room or in the doctor's office. Some of my patients write down the reason
for each medication on their list as well to remind them of why they're taking each medication.
I think that's quite helpful. I have written two examples on this particular slide on how
to write your medications down starting with the name of the medicine, the amount that you take,
and how often you take that amount. Now the example on the slide our Aspirin 81 milligrams
once a day and Metoprolol 50 milligrams twice a day. The next tip on my list is note taking.
This is the third and final tip. It's very helpful to make notes that you can refer to later.
Bringing along a family member a friend can be helpful so they can take down notes while you can
concentrate on talking with the doctor. As I like to say two heads are better than one when it comes
to recalling everything that is said on a visit. Write down what the doctor's impression of your
problem is and the plan. This might include additional tests that are needed medication
changes and what the follow-up is. There may be things that your doctor may ask you to do such as
document your blood pressure or pulse or if you're having symptoms to try to more clearly document
what's going on during the symptoms and what comes on before, what makes it better,
what makes it worse, and whether there are any other associated symptoms. There may be helpful
patient information sheets that your doctor may give you or videos to refer to after the visit.
After the visit it can be very helpful that you and your family member review what was said and
to make additional notes if needed. Remember your relationship with your doctor is one of the most
important that you have. Advanced preparation as I discussed in this video will help you use your own
time and your doctor's time much more efficiently as well as effectively. Preparing for your visit
helps you become a partner in your health care and it makes you a better advocate for your health
and well-being. Thanks for watching today. I'm Dr. Keith Moran. Get healthy and stay healthy.