Regular check-ups are important to maintain a healthy body. You might be visiting your physician for an annual check or consulting on a condition you are suffering from. Either way, communication with a doctor about your health is key when it comes to improving your life.
As much as check-ups are vital, doctors and hospitals can be intimidating. Hospital visits might make you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or scared. If this is the case, the chances of you being present-minded during your check-ups are lessened. This can affect the quality of service you are getting since being active might be hard.
If you struggle to ask the right questions during your check-up, here are some good questions to ask your doctor:
Ask For Board Certifications
What does this mean, exactly? “Board Certified” means doctors who took on extra training after medical school. To be board certified, doctors also have to pass an exam certifying their expertise in the given area. For example, a family physician can specialize in family medicine. Other doctors also specialize in fields like general internal medicine, gynecology, orthopedics, geriatrics, etc.
If you care about qualification, this is the right kind of question to ask. While being board certified can tell you about a doctor’s medical expertise, it won’t give you answers about your doctor’s communication skills. Whether you’ve discovered this firsthand or not, communication skills may be just as important.
Ask For Screenings From Family History
Certain medical conditions are more common at certain ages or based on hereditary family history. Generally, your doctor will do a great job of identifying these recommended screenings, but it is helpful if you ask to make sure you cover all your bases.
Hereditary medical conditions, you should ensure your care team is aware of include heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, certain cancers, and diabetes. Your care team’s approach and lifestyle recommendations may change, knowing any of these are in your family history.
Ask For Prescription Assessments
This is a chance to review current prescriptions and make any necessary adjustments. Discuss with your doctor how your medication is working, if you are experiencing any side effects if you have any life changes that could affect this treatment, and if you still need to be taking this medication at all.
For example, if you are planning to get pregnant, your doctor might want to change or stop certain medications. If you have made lifestyle changes such as increased exercise, weight loss, or a healthier diet, you may be able to lower or cease using medications for blood pressure or cholesterol.
Ask For Possible Causes And Triggers
Being diagnosed with a health condition can be overwhelming. However, getting as much information as possible during your appointment can help alleviate some of your worries. At the same time, it can help you feel more confident going forward.
If your condition was caused by a lifestyle choice, you may be able to change your lifestyle or habits and improve your health. If the cause was beyond your control, understanding this fact may reduce some of the guilt or fear you are experiencing as you face the treatment.
Ask For Treatment Options And Plans
If you have been diagnosed with a new medical condition, it’s helpful to understand what treatment options are available to you. In many cases, a condition has more than one course of treatment.
Your doctor may recommend a lifestyle change. They can also order a medical test to confirm what may be going on in your body. Finally, they can prescribe a medication to help manage or treat the condition. By asking what treatment options are available, you can become more involved in your care.
When you ask what your doctor would recommend as the best course of treatment, you are showing your trust in them and their medical opinion. You can also learn more about why they recommend a particular treatment, as they may have seen good results in the past or studied the latest treatment options and conditions as part of their continuing education.
Key Takeaway
Today’s world is incredibly busy—chances are you had to take time off of work to schedule an appointment with your primary care doctor. When you’re distracted, it’s so easy to forget the questions you meant to ask.
But these are vital questions, and your visit with your primary care physician should be one of your most important appointments. It’s essential to your well-being. When you visit your doctor, it’s important to know what to ask to make the most of the appointment.
At the moment, you may forget what you wanted to ask or feel frazzled when your doctor asks you if you have any questions. Following the suggestions in this article will help you have more confidence in asking the right questions to your doctor.
