Your appointments

Prepare For Your Medical Appointment

You may bring months of concerns when you visit your doctor, but the average doctor visit lists less than 20 minutes. Here are some tips for making the most of your time with your doctor and remembering the doctor’s take-home message when you get home.

Make a list of your questions and concerns

Keep a notebook handy and make notes whenever you experience a new symptom or think of a concern that you would like to address with your doctor. The evening or morning before your appointment, go over your notes and use them to make a list of questions. Prioritize them with your most pressing questions first. You may only have time to address a few of your questions at your appointment, so be sure to get to the most important ones first. (You may be able to discuss others with a nurse after the appointment.)

Know your medications

Your doctor needs to know the medications you are taking. Make a list of them, including nutritional supplements and OTC medications, along with the doses. An alternative is to put all of your medications (in their original bottles with labels attached) in a bag and take that to your appointment.

Bring a notebook and pen

As you ask questions, write down the answers, as well as any special instructions your doctor gives you. Ask your doctor to repeat anything you don’t understand. Label your notebook to use for all your medical appointments; date the page and get names. This will become an easy reference to have as you attend medical appointments.

Bring a friend or family member

At the doctor’s office, two heads are often better than one. Particularly if you are seeing a doctor about a new diagnosis, you may be overwhelmed or confused by all of the information you receive. Being emotional can add to the difficulty. That’s how inviting someone to accompany you to your appointment can help. Invite them to ask questions – they may think of some you don’t -- and ask them to take notes for you. Or you can both take notes and compare them to ensure you understood what the doctor said.

Bring any medical records and X-rays

If you have medical records, test results or X-rays, take a copy to review with your doctor and/or add to your file. Or have the doctor performing the tests send or have them available for your doctor to retrieve electronically.