1. CALL EARLY: If you need to be seen soon, then the best time to call is early in the morning. If you wait until later in the day, then you will more likely not be seen until the late afternoon or even the next day.
2. BRING INFORMATION: Instead of answering the doctor's questions off the top of your head, think and about and bring with you a list of the key information you want the doctor to know:
- Your Symptoms and Complaints
- Your Medications and Doses/Schedules – Or Just Bring the Bottles!
- The Names of Your Other Doctors
3. BRING QUESTIONS: A doctor's visit can be stressful and a lot of times patients forget to ask all of their questions – and they only realize it when they are already down the block. Before you go to the doctor's office, make a list of your questions, with the most important ones at the top.
4. BRING FAMILY OR A FRIEND: Again, a doctor's visit can be stressful, and they can throw at you a lot of new terms and information. By bringing someone you can trust, you will have a second set of eyes and ears to pay attention to what is going on and ask about things you might not have thought of. You will also have the support and love of someone close to you. Another way that bringing a family member or friend can help you is if you do not speak English well or have other special needs. If you can't bring someone with you, then you can feel free to call the doctor's office ahead of time and tell them that you will need an interpreter or other help.
1.INSIST ON TALKING TO THE DOCTOR: Nurses and other providers are necessary and important parts of your visit. But you must discuss everything – your condition, concerns, questions and treatments – directly with the doctor.
2. INSIST ON SAYING WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY: According to the US government: "It is well known that providers tend to interrupt patients' opening statements after only 18–23 seconds." Politely insist on saying everything you have to say.
3. INSIST ON UNDERSTANDING: Make sure that everything is explained to you, in plain English, and that you fully understand.
- Do not make your symptoms or complaints seem unimportant or minor. You do not want your doctor to overlook or discount these facts – anything can be important to your diagnosis and treatment, and you can help the doctor avoid mistakes by focusing attention on the facts.
- If it seems that your doctor has missed something or not asked you about something, then say so.
- At the end of your appointment, explain back to the doctor what he or she told you about your condition and treatment.
4. INSIST ON OTHER POSSIBILITIES: Doctors make mistakes, and – as you've certainly seen yourself – they are often in a hurry. So even if the doctor has already given you an answer, always insist that the doctor consider and discuss what other possible answers might be – and why the doctor is ruling them out.
- Your Condition: What else could it be? Is there anything about my condition that is not consistent with the diagnosis?
- Your Treatment: What are other possible treatments for this condition? What are the side effects or risks of those treatments? Why are you choosing this one?
1. ASK QUESTIONS: Your care and treatment does not end when you walk out the door. If you realize after you left that you forgot or didn't think of a question, then don't be shy about calling the doctor and asking. And the same goes if you have any new symptoms or concerns that arise later.
2. ASK ABOUT TEST RESULTS: Do not assume that the doctor's office will let you know if there is anything wrong with one of your test results. Silence does not necessarily mean good news, although this is our tendency – not to question the absence of bad news. Always follow up with the doctor's office yourself to ask about your results – and make sure to insist that you speak to the doctor about your results. You want to force the doctor to look at the results and, even if they are okay, to explain to you why.
3. ASK ANOTHER DOCTOR: If you received a serious diagnosis – or if you have serious symptoms and the doctor's diagnosis does not seem to fit ("Oh, it's nothing…") – then you always have the right to get a second opinion.
A Note About "Insisting" - Joshua Billings (1870)
I hate to be a kicker,
I always long for peace,
But the wheel that does the squeaking,
Is the one that gets the grease.
Doctor offices, hospitals and clinics are busy places. If they are private businesses, then they will make more money if they see more patients each day. If they are city hospitals or other facilities, then they often don't have the money for all the doctors they need.
What this means is that it is easy to fall through the cracks – and to become a victim of a medical mistake. The best way to help to avoid this is to be assertive, to insist on your rights as a patient and a human being.
What is the best way to be assertive? Calmly – but firmly. Don't be shy. This is your health.
It is natural, and you know it in your own life: people don't help people who are angry or raise their voices. So be calm and respectful – but be clear that you will not accept anything other than the care and treatment you deserve.
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