Getting the Most Out of Your Doctor Visit

SATURDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- When you''re feeling sick -- really sick -- you might yearn for the good old days when a Marcus Welby-like doctor strode up to your door with a black bag and fixed you up in no time.

Those days may be long gone, but you can learn how to get the most out of a doctor''s visit when you or a loved one are sick.

Here are some tips from experts on what you should do, say, and bring with you when you drag yourself to the doctor.

Take along helpful information.

"Patients need to have a list of their medications," said Dr. Jim Martin, a family physician and director of the residency training program at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. If you''re seeing your regular family doctor, he or she probably has that list on file, but it doesn''t hurt to take it along anyway. Include when and how often you take the medicines, and at what strength. Also, discuss any allergies or reactions you have had to medicines.

Similarly, if patients "have a history of medical problems, they should make a list of those medical problems," Martin said. This would be particularly valuable if you don''t wind up seeing your regular doctor, but someone else in the practice.

Be specific about what''s wrong.

Before leaving for the doctor, think about your symptoms and make a mental -- or written -- list of what''s bothering you, said Dr. Michael Fleming, a family physician in Shreveport, La., and immediate past president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

"We''re like detectives; we work on clues," Fleming said. "If you aren''t telling the whole story, that may limit my ability to figure out what is wrong."

Suppose you have a cough. Your doctor will want to know if it is "productive" -- that is, does something come up when you cough? Does your chest hurt when you are hacking away? Are you short of breath?

"Give us a time frame," Fleming added. Tell your doctor how long you''ve been feeling lousy.

"The physician wants the story of the illness," agreed Martin. "When did it start, what was it like, how have the symptoms changed or progressed, what have you attempted yourself, to treat it?"

Fess up to self-treatments.

Some patients will root around in the medicine cabinet in an effort to rediscover a treatment that may have worked in the past for, say, a troublesome stomach. If you diagnosed yourself -- even with an over-the-counter medicine -- your doctor needs to know that. "Some patients have gone to the drug store and gotten something that has made it worse," Fleming said.

"It is important to let your doctor know what you have been taking," Fleming said. It might interact with what he is planning to give you, or make it less effective.

When your child is sick.

When it''s your child who''s ill, all the information-sharing that applies to an adult office visit applies as well, Fleming and Martin said.

With children, especially ones so young they aren''t very verbal, it''s important for the parent to let the doctor know of any chronic diseases such as asthma. That way, the doctor can separate out disease symptoms from new and unrelated aches and pains, Fleming said.

Also, be prepared to tell the pediatrician how well your child is sleeping and eating and how long the symptoms have persisted, Fleming said.

But don''t expect to do all the talking. "By the time a child is about 3, I try to have as much conversation with them as possible," Martin said. He tries to allow the child to describe the symptoms, at least initially, so he can get a first-hand account of the problem. Then, he turns to the parent for the additional information he needs.

Finally, don''t leave the office without a clear idea of when you -- or your loved one -- should expect to feel better, and what to do if you don''t.

More information

To learn more about improving doctor-patient communication, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

SOURCES: Michael Fleming, M.D., family physician, Shreveport, La., and immediate past president, American Academy of Family Physicians; Jim Martin, M.D., family physician and director of the residency training program, Christus Santa Rosa Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas

Last Updated: Sept. 10, 2005