Effectively communicating with your doctor is important whenever you have an appointment.  The time during a doctor visit is important and both the patient and doctor want it to be worthwhile.  Every person has a different style of communicating.  Most doctor visits today are too short (often because doctors are overscheduled).  Because of these time limits, it is necessary for the patient to be prepared for the visit. Below are some tips for effectively communicating with your physician.

Be Concise

Remember that all healthcare providers have limited be time to be with you.  Tell the provider about the problems you are experiencing. You can leave out the details about your most recent vacation that does not pertain to the visit.

Be Honest

Do not exaggerate or lie.  If you overused your medications, tell them why it happened.  Do not lie about losing your drugs. Most doctors will know if a story does not make sense.

Don’t Leave Anything Important Out

Do not leave out important details about your back pain. If you have had multiple back surgeries, tell that to your doctor.  Also keep track of the treatments that you have tried and what did or did not help.

If you have psychological problems, such as depression, these are also important issues to bring up.  Psychological problems are just as important as physical problems, so do not forget to include these in your history if you want successful treatment.

Medications

Medications are often an important aspect of treatment.  Keep track of what you are currently taking (including dose and frequency).  Nonprescription medications are equally important since many drugs may interact with each other negatively.

Be on Time

If you want your doctor to be on time, you must be on time.  If you are going to be late, notify the doctor’s office as soon as you can.

Ask Questions

If you have questions about your treatment or problem, ask them.  Doctors try to anticipate some of the questions and answer them when they explain the treatment plan, but we are not mind readers. We are trying to determine what is wrong and what needs treatment.  If you don’t tell us what you are concerned about, we cannot fully help.

Most Visits end with a Treatment Plan

This is a joint venture between the healthcare provider and the patient to solve the patient’s problems.  If you have questions about your treatment plan, ask them.  Please follow the advice given and the plan. Picking and choosing only parts of the plan will not lead to a good relationship or a successful resolution of your problems.

Respect the Office Staff

Everyone who has pain is uncomfortable at times, but do not be abusive or rude to the office staff when you are having a bad time. We understand you want to feel better, but everyone deserves a degree of respect.  In today’s world, both patient and doctor deserve respect, if the patient shows no respect to others, it is unlikely that you will receive ongoing treatment.

Remember that not all Problems are Curable

We are listening and trying to find an effective solution that is specific for your circumstances.  It is a team effort, and the patient is the most important member of the team.  You have to be involved, not passive, and need to participate in your treatment if you expect to improve.  In pain management, you need to be both physically and psychologically involved since the brain is an equal partner in pain.