How a Patient Can Help a Doctor Give the Best Care

By JANE E. BRODY
01 oct 2008--As primary care doctors become increasingly pressed for time, here are 10 tips to help maximize the benefits you get from modern medical care.
1. Write down your questions before calling or seeing the doctor. Don’t wait until the end of a visit to mention a pressing health concern.
2. Keep a diary of your symptoms and the circumstances under which they occur, and bring it with you to the appointment.
3. Maintain an up-to-date list of all the medications and over-the-counter drugs and supplements you take and their dosages. Bring that with you.
4. Write down what the doctor says about your condition and how to treat it.
5. Know your personal and family medical history, including illnesses and operations you had and diseases or causes of death of your parents, grandparents and siblings.
6. Be honest about your lifestyle. If you smoke, drink alcohol or take recreational drugs, reveal how often or how much.
7. Be willing to see a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner for routine care like wellness checkups and immunizations.
8. Ask if the doctor uses e-mail and checks it daily. If so, use e-mail messages to discuss nonurgent matters or lingering concerns, to clarify treatment instructions and to report an improvement in symptoms. But call immediately if your symptoms fail to improve as expected or suddenly get worse.
9. If you call about a worrisome symptom and the doctor tells you to go to the emergency room, don’t wait. If you are told to go by ambulance, do it; you’ll be seen right away, which could make a life-or-death difference.
10. Get an independent second opinion if you are told that you have a life-threatening condition or that surgery is needed to correct a problem, or if you are doubtful about the quality of tests that were done.