4 WH y n LAY Helth Awreness How To Get The Most Out Of Your Next Doctor’s Visit (NAPSA)—Tking some time to think bout your next doctor’s visit cn help you get the best possible cre. A successful reltionship between doctor nd ptient requires open nd honest communiction from both sides, nd n informed ptient my find it esier to keep the lines of communiction open. Dr. Michel Lindberg, director of Medicine t Hrtford Hospitl, provides tips on how you cn mke the most out of every doctor’s visit. Pre-visit Preprtion: e An informed ptient cn contribute to the success of the doc- tor-ptient reltionship. While ptients cn benefit from hving some bckground knowledge when they go to ppointments, they should be wry of some medicl informtion sources vilble online. Web sites such s WebMD.com re reputble online references tht re reviewed by people who work in the field. Be cutious bout TV commercils—most likely, the content is provided by compnies trying to sell you their product. Keep in mind tht even if friend or fmily member displyed similr symptoms, it does not men tht you hve the exct sme condition or require the sme tretment. Prepre nd bring list of issues you wnt to discuss. Remember tht some issues my Z th AL) Niel A good reltionship between doctor nd ptient depends on open nd honest communiction from both sides. require more in-depth follow-up ppointment. e Review your medictionsor, even better, bring the bottles with you. Mking the Most of Your Doctor’s Visit: Be on time—or even little erly—to fill out pperwork for your ppointment. Despite common perceptions, most doctors’ offices run on time. e Go in wnting to be honest nd up-front. No question is too embrrssing to sk. e If you don’t understnd something, sk for clrifiction right wy. Don’t think it will come up lter. If you leve confused, the visit hsfiled. Be cler nd concise when explining yourself, nd very specific when describing your symptoms. Focus on the min reson for your ppointment. e Remember tht it is your body nd yourlife. Tke chrge of it. Look on yourreltionship with your doctor s prtnership. You hve to work together, nd tht mens open nd honest communiction from bothsides. WhtNot To Do During Visit: Don’t nticipte tht doctors know more bout you thn they do; be redy to spell it out. Don’t be frid to sk wht options there re for tretment. It’s importnt for your doctor to understnd your helth gols nd vlues. * Don’t sty with doctor you hve trouble communicting with. If the reltionship is not working, tell the doctor why nd moveon. Don’t drop n “oh, by the wy” t the end of n ppointment. Be up-front erly bout your concerns. Tking Cre Outside the Doctor’s Office: e Tke preventive cre by tking recommended vccines nd ensuring tht you re up to dte with ll cncer nd cholesterol screenings. Tlk to your doctor bout which ge-pproprite steps should be tken to keep you helthy. e Mintin proper diet nd regulr exercise. Don’t smoke. More helth tips nd other helpful informtion cn be found t www.hrtfordhospitl.org.
