A visit to the doctor’s office is usually anything but calming. Many people arrive anxious, worried, stressed, and often times ill. While some aspects of this experience are out of your control, there are steps you can take to make your visit more efficient and successful.
#1 – When you schedule the appointment, try your best to tell the scheduler the purpose of the visit. Is it a follow up appointment to discuss chronic medical issues such as diabetes or high blood pressure? Is is a yearly physical? Are you not feeling well? This will determine what appointment slot is most appropriate and will allow the right amount of time for the issues at hand.
#2 – Set an intention for your appointment- for yourself and for your doctor. Patients are often advised to make a list of concerns. While I am certainly a proponent of list-making (for all aspects of life), keep in mind that most office visits are 20-30 minutes in length. My recommendation is to focus on your top 3 concerns. It provides a focus for the appointment and allows your doctor time to ask questions and come up with a plan for testing and treatment. Sometimes, this means scheduling a follow up appointment to discuss your remaining questions, but I promise you will make more progress and accomplish more this way.
#3 – Help me help you. Be on time. In fact, arrive to your appointment 5-10 minutes early. This gives you time to sign in at the front desk and fill out any necessary paperwork. We all know doctors are notoriously late. Sometimes, this is because a patient earlier in the morning was late for his appointment. One to two late arrivals can have a ripple effect on the rest of the day, leading to longer wait times for everybody. Arriving on time minimizes this effect and helps the visit run smoothly.
#4 – Don’t be a stranger. Most people consider it a good thing not to visit your physician too frequently. However, a yearly visit to your PCP is a must, at a minimum. Having regularly scheduled appointments keeps you on track with cancer screening and vaccinations. It helps keep your doctor up to date with any health changes over the past year. For example, your doctor will want to know if you’ve had any recent surgeries or hospitalizations. If you are on medications for chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or depression, your doctor will probably want you to visit more often. Certain medications require routine blood work and monitoring.
#5 – Keep record of medications and health screenings. With the new electronic medical records and fancy computers, it’s easy to think that your doctor should have all your information right there on the screen. While healthcare technology has come a long way, the EMR is not quite perfect. It is not uncommon for each hospital system in a city to use a different EMR. This means that patient information is not automatically shared between systems or pharmacies. If you get a vaccination at CVS or receive an antibiotic from an Urgent Care, it most likely will not automatically appear in your record. It is important to keep record of these changes on your own and share them with your doctor at your next visit.
Keep these 5 tips in mind next time you visit your PCP for a more efficient and satisfying experience.
5 comments
Great tips, #3 especially!
Thank you. Yes, I’m sure you can relate!
At your next doctor’s appointment, get in, get the information you came for, and get out without wasting anyone’s time — including your own.
“It’s difficult to recall symptoms or questions at a doctor visit because you’re nervous,” and that anxiety can mess with your memory, says Martine Ehrenclou, author of
Yes, I agree! That is why I do recommend writing down your biggest concerns before your appointment. Then, at the visit, you can pull out your notes to discuss with your doctor.