This recent article on CNN is quite valuable for any health provider’s office. Originally, this article was specific to your GPs office however, we at City Centre Chiropractic in Brisbane have adapted it to suit all health providers rooms, perhaps adding to this a number eleven - You should always know the name of your healthcare clinician.
1. You talk on your cell phone.
This is your health we're talking about. Other calls can wait. Turn the thing off.
2. You lie.
I need to treat you the best way I can, so if you're gay, tell me. If you drink a bottle of tequila every night, I need to know. If you're having an affair and not using condoms, let me know,I promise I won't judge you. Everything you tell a medical practitioner is confidential.
3. You do a sloppy job describing your pain.
Is it stabbing or burning? Sudden or constant? The answers will help your doctor make the right diagnosis.
You should describe the exact location, how intense the pain was, what provoked it and how long it lasted.
If possible before your appointment, keep a diary of your pain and your other symptoms. You may also like to think about the questions you want to ask your doctor and what you hope to get out of your appointment.
4. You don't state up front all the reasons for your visit.
Your knee pops out when you run and you have a sty in your eye, state all concerns at the beginning of the appointment so your doctor can plan your visit efficiently.
5. You don't state up front your expectations for your visit.
If you have certain hopes or expectations -- the doctor will pop that sty in your eye or prescribe antibiotics for your sore ear -- say so. The doctor can then explain if your expectations are realistic, and you'll be happier in the end.
Sometimes patients are out of proportion to what the reality is if you don't communicate your expectations, then they can't be addressed.
6. You don't know what medications you're taking.
Patients should bring a list of medications they're actually taking, not what they believe they are supposed to be taking, or what they think they should take.
7. You leave with unspoken questions and concerns.
If a question's in your head, ask it, even if you think the doctor is rushed. If you're worried your headache might be a brain tumor, say it even if you think you sound like a hypochondriac.
8. You don't bring your medical records or images with you.
Yes, even in this day and age, many doctors rely on the fax machine or email to send medical records to and fro. Faxes goof up, the internet eats mail, so unless you absolutely, positively know your doctor has your records and images from another office, bring them with you.
9. You're too scared to disagree with your doctor.
If your doctor suggests you need an antidepressant and you don't want to take it, say so instead of nodding your head, taking the prescription and throwing it away the minute you're out the door. Or if she suggests a medication you can't afford, just say so.
Many of you are programmed not to question your doctor, but health care providers can't read your mind, so please communicate. If the treatment plan suggested for you doesn't resonate with the intuitive wisdom of your Inner Healer, please speak up, instead of ignoring your health providers suggestions.
10. You don't comply with the treatment plan.
For doctors, this is the granddaddy of them all. If you've followed all the advice above, you should have a treatment plan that makes sense to you and one you're able to execute.
Please follow through and do what you've agreed to do. And if you don't, please tell your clinician so it is not mistakenly assumed the treatment failed. Your health care provider will not jump all over you, but they do need to know.