Preparation
Seeing a doctor is an important matter for the patient’s own health, and one should be well prepared before the visit. Dai Houyong, Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University
I. Preparation of spirit: Once you suffer from a disease, you should neither be indifferent to it nor carry too heavy a burden, but should look at it with a normal heart.
Second, prepare information: when you visit the clinic, be sure to prepare the results of previous tests and medical records. It is best to arrange them in chronological order, so that the doctor can quickly understand the condition, but also to avoid repeated tests.
Third, prepare drugs: for some chronic diseases, you should make a list of all the drugs you are taking. If you are also taking some nutritional supplements, you should also bring the complete medicine bag or box for the doctor’s reference. You can’t just say “some little white pill” as a vague concept. In addition, some drugs can mask symptoms, unless the condition is urgent, generally should not be used indiscriminately before the consultation, especially analgesics, antipyretics, antihypertensive drugs, sedative sleeping pills, etc.
Fourth, prepare the grooming: try not to wear makeup before the consultation, especially not heavy makeup. Because cosmetics may cover up the original skin color, which is very unfavorable to the diagnosis of anemia, etc. Before seeing a doctor, you should also be careful not to exercise vigorously, eat, get too emotional, drink a lot of alcohol or smoke, all these factors can cause a rapid heartbeat and blood pressure fluctuations, causing some difficulties in the diagnosis of certain diseases. In addition, because doctors often have to conduct physical examinations and, if necessary, blood collection or instrumentation. Therefore, do not wear tight or complicated clothes for the examination.
V. Prepare for the timing: Generally speaking, you can go to the doctor at any time, but it is better to go to the hospital when the symptoms are most obvious, for example, sometimes the rash only appears in the afternoon. If the illness is chronic and only requires prescriptions for medication, etc., then you can visit in the afternoon when there are fewer patients. If it is not an emergency, try not to visit the emergency room because the large number of non-acute patients taking up the resources of the emergency room will inevitably affect the attendance of real emergency patients.
Speak up
Tell the doctor how you feel.
I. Tell the truth: As the saying goes, sickness is not a problem. When telling your doctor about your condition, you should be truthful and neither conceal nor exaggerate. A false medical history can lead the doctor’s mind astray and easily lead to a wrong diagnosis, which in turn leads to wrong treatment.
Second, say the key point: state the most important reason that led to this visit. For example, someone often has some discomfort, but usually does not go to the hospital, and only when a symptom becomes very obvious does he or she go to the hospital. Therefore do not expect to solve all the problems in one visit, but should avoid the lightest and most important problems that you want to solve.
Third, speak clearly: Speaking clearly means that the patient gives a more affirmative and consistent answer to the doctor when the doctor asks questions about the time, location, nature, and number of symptoms. For example, a patient with hemoptysis, when presenting to the doctor, sometimes says that he is hemoptysis is a blood clot, sometimes says it is a blood clot, and sometimes becomes a vomiting blood clot, etc. This can lead to difficulties in diagnosis for the doctor.
Listen
Listen to the doctor’s questions clearly.
The patient must listen to the doctor’s questions and requests before answering them. If you don’t understand any of the doctor’s questions, you should ask them and ask the doctor to clarify them again, don’t be afraid that the doctor will be too much trouble.
Asking
Patients should take the initiative to ask about things that concern them.
Patients should learn to ask questions of their doctors and communicate well with them. It is recommended to make a list of questions beforehand, which can avoid forgetting what to ask due to hurry and save time for thinking.
The following questions can be used as a reference for patients visiting the clinic.
What kind of disease do I have? What is the cause of the disease?
What is the significance of the test and the procedure? What should I pay attention to before, during and after the examination?
When will I know the results? What should I do after I get the results?
How is the disease treated?
Why do I need to take this medicine? How should I take this medicine? How will I know if it works? What are the side effects? How long do I have to take it?
How long will it take to get better? What should I do when I finish this prescription? What should I do if I don’t feel well after taking the medicine?
Are there any other possible treatments? What do I need to pay attention to in the future? How can I prevent it from happening again?
By mastering the above four steps of “prepare, talk, listen and ask”, patients will be able to better communicate with their doctors and save time in the process of consultation, as well as get answers to their own diseases and questions from their doctors to protect their own interests.