What to Ask
Tips for Talking with Your Doctor
These tips are designed to help you understand the importance of regular check-ups and establishing open communication with your health care provider.
| • | Establish a baseline (a time when you are well and feeling good) so that the health care provider will understand when you tell them how you are feeling at the time of a visit. |
| • | You have the right to make another choice in health care providers if you do not like your treatment team |
| • | Your medical records belong to you and you have a right to take them if you change doctors |
| • | Find a new health care provider within the first three months if you move so that you can establish your baseline |
| • | New symptoms do not necessarily mean that your pain problems has progressed |
| • | Don't neglect your eyes and dental needs |
| • | "Flair ups" don't mean that you're failing at pain management |
Understand Your Medications
If you are given a prescription, it's important that you take it as directed. If you worry about remembering your doctor's or pharmacist's instructions, take along a copy of the ACPA Pharmacists CARE sheet and ask your provider to complete it with you. It's available at the link below.
Click here to download the Care Card
Maintaining a Good Relationship with Your Doctor
Before you go to the doctor, write down exactly what you think is wrong. Also include the following:
| • | list only the new symptoms |
| • | include over the counter medicines taken |
| • | methods of relief tried, i.e. heat, message, exercise |
| • | changes in your daily level of functioning |
| • | changes in mood, appetite and s leep |
| • | questions you have |
The following form can help to prepare for a visit to the doctor.
Doctor Visit Fact Sheet
Complete the following documents and take then to your doctor visit.
Click here to download the Doctor Visit Fact sheet in PDF format.
Click here to download the ACPA Quality of Life Scale in PDF format.
| • | Restate instructions the doctor gave you to ensure that you understood. |
| • | If you don't understand what he or she is saying, you have the right to ask for clarification. |
| • | Don't discuss what others have told you or thought might be wrong with you. Your doctor is familiar with your case history; allow him or her to make the diagnosis. |
| • | Before leaving the doctor's office, check your understanding by quickly summarizing what you've been told. |
| • | If you are not sure about the recommendations of your doctor, get a second opinion, especially before having surgery. |
It is important to understand that there won't always be an answer to your health care questions. Medicine is not an exact science. There are many things that doctors know. However, there are many things they still don't know. Health care research is ongoing. Just because current research may not explain the reason for your pain does not mean that you pain is not real. You feel the pain and, therefore, it is real to you and must be taken seriously. Following these guidelines will enable you to make the most of your visit with your doctor. You will have a clearer understanding of what you need to do to stay involved in your own recovery.
Having a productive conversation with your health care provider:
1. Take charge of the conversation from the beginning.
2. Prepare a list of questions that you need to have answered.
3. State your concerns and the reason for the visit immediately.
4. If you need something from the doctor, tell him; don't wait for him to guess what you want.
5. State your main concern up front and briefly then if necessary, give the details.
6. Believe in yourself and what you are saying, don't stumble over words.
7. Don't be afraid to ask questions about what you do not understand. You are paying the doctor for her expertise.