Effective communication in the form of dialogue is crucial to every relationship. In your personal relationships at home, it’s the key to happiness. In the professional relationship with your doctor, it’s crucial for health.
That communication begins with your call to book an appointment. The medical office assistant will ask for the reason of your visit. If there is more than one, give them all when you’re booking.
The medical office assistant is part of your health-care team and can be trusted with your confidentiality. She or he helps the office run more smoothly so that all patients can be well served.
Being human, we may pick up an infection or discover new problems before we see the doctor. If you do, advise the medical office assistant when you arrive. This will ensure that the doctor is best prepared for your visit.
Some problems require specific instruments, gowns or other preparations. Work-related or MVA-related injuries may require important detailed information and specific forms. If you are suffering from stress, depression or anxiety, additional time may be required for counselling.
The first few minutes of your visit is the best time to clarify everything you need to address. Your doctor may have some additional items to discuss with you, including the results of recent investigations or screening tests that are due. It’s important to agree on your shared agenda at the beginning of your visit.
Each problem you present requires the doctor to take a thorough history, including the asking of crucial questions and to perform a physical examination to rule in or out important conditions. When the working diagnosis is clear, the doctor may propose a management plan and alternative choices for treatment. You need the opportunity to ask questions and to get all the information you need to make informed choices.
Obviously, if your doctor has to work through this process sequentially as you pull a series of problems from your pocket one at a time, a 10- or 15-minute appointment can turn into an hour, sabotaging the medical office assistant’s mission of keeping the office running smoothly to serve all patients well.
So the first thing you can do to get the most of your visit is to come prepared. Write your list of problems and bring it with any other information that may assist your doctor. Share it with the medical office assistant – your ally in the office – and your family physician.
On Monday, Feb. 17, I will be speaking at the Metrotown branch of the Burnaby Public Library on “The Patient-Doctor Relationship: making the most of each visit with your family doctor.” For more information, phone the Metrotown branch at 604-436-5400 or register online at www.bpl.bc.ca/events.
Dr. Davidicus Wong is a family physician at PrimeCare Medical. His Healthwise column appears regularly in this paper. Read more about achieving your positive potential at davidi
cuswong.wordpress.com.
