How to Talk with Your Doctor

by Deborah Stengel R.N.

It is very important to have a good, open communication with your doctor. Because you have to share with your doctor information about your personal health, it is important that you can get along with the doctor. Find a physician that will make you feel comfortable when talking to them, and one that will work together with you to make the best decisions about your health. This will translate to the best care for you. Here are some ways that you can make talking to your doctor even more effective:

• Be honest. Many times a patient gets embarrassed about their health care situation. Your situation is probably not unique to the doctor, so don't think he or she will make any type of personality judgment calls.
• Express your medical concerns fully and directly. That is what your physician is there for. The more information that you give your physician the less he will have to deduce by listening to the medical symptoms.
• Breathe easy. Remember: It is YOUR healthcare you and the physician are concerned about. Everything else is secondary to the important medical issues at hand.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions. Health is a very personal matter. It is often helpful to write down your medical or emotional symptoms and complaints as it is often easy to forget some while talking with your health care professional.
• The better informed you are, the better patient you will be. It has been traditional to view the physician as superhuman and incapable of making mistakes. Those days are on their way out and most doctors are well aware of it. Health care is now more often viewed as a collaborative effort. A quality physician realizes that often a patient or client intuits accurately what is wrong with their health. A truly effective physician listens.
• Respect the physician and expect respect in return. You are both equal. The only difference is that the he or she has more specialized learning in their particular area. You have more knowledge in your line of work as well.
• Often, just like when your car needs service, the symptoms and discomfort lessen or temporarily go away when you go to talk with your general practitioner. Do not let that dissuade you. It is common and does not mean your complaints are now invalid. It is important information and clues that you are providing to your health care professional. Give them all the help you can.

Deborah Stengel, R.N.

Deborah Stengel is a Psychiatric Nurse currently working at the Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota, Florida.