Before Your Visit

HOW TO MAKE YOUR VISIT TO THE DOCTOR MORE PRODUCTIVE
The following information has been paraphrased from a recent Washington Post article and adapted to the needs of a patient with gastrointestinal problems. We hope you find this handout to be helpful.

1. Make a list of the questions you have for the doctor and bring this list with you. You will find the list to be a helpful reference guide.
2. Bring a list of all of your current medications, vitamins, and herbs with you if you take more than two medicines and non-prescription products and particularly if there has been a change in your medications since your last visit to this office. It is important for the doctor and his staff to have a currently accurate record of your medications and non-prescription substances to better understand your present condition, drug interactions, and medication-related gastrointestinal problems.
3. Don't wait until the last minute of your office visit to bring up the real reason for your visit or your real worry. Mention your chief concerns first so there will be more time to discuss them. You do yourself and the patients who follow you that day a disservice if you ask "door knob questions" -- those loaded "Oh, by the way" inquiries that require prolonged exploration and complicated answers as you and the doctor prepare to leave the examining room.
4. Be succinct. Prepare mentally for your office visit. Think about what you want to say and ask before you come to the office. Although you might be anxious, try to focus on your problem and not on irrelevant matters.
5. Listen to the question that the doctor asks you. You are not helping yourself if you answer a doctor's question with a statement that has no relation to the question asked.
6. If you don't understand the doctor's explanation of your problem or the doctor's answer to a question, speak up immediately so the information can be rephrased a different way.
7. Answer questions truthfully. The doctor-patient dialogue is a confidential matter protected by federal and state law. Dishonesty puts your life and health at risk, and a physician cannot manage your medical problem(s) appropriately if you materially misrepresent the circumstances of your health and habits. I generally find it necessary to dismiss from my practice patients who misrepresent their behavior or the circumstances of their health.
8. Be careful in your use of the Internet and newspaper health care articles. Many medical websites contain information which is misleading, outdated, not germane to your problem, or designed to sell you a product. Many newspaper articles are sensationalist, promotional, premature in their conclusions, or otherwise inadequate. There is no requirement for any of this information to be honest or accurate. You are wasting the time that the doctor has available to spend with you if you come to the office armed with reams of printouts from the web or newspaper articles and expect the doctor to go over them with you. The doctor or his staff will tell you about reliable websites.
9. To avoid misunderstandings with the doctor's office staff, make sure that you have an original or a photocopy of all of your health insurance cards with you for inspection and photocopy at every visit. Be sure to notify the doctor's office staff if your address, phone number, or health insurance has changed in any way.