How to Get Through to Your Medical Professional

by Ellen Macalester with Guiding Bright Minds

Have you ever had a time where you needed your health care professional to listen, I mean really listen to you? Did you feel you “got through” to the practitioner? No? hmmm

As the parent of not 1 but 2 special needs sons, I feel your pain.

As a health care practitioner, I also feel my own pain.

You see, there are infinitely more people needing to see a practitioner than there are practitioners to see all the people needing to see them. So, how do we make this work?

First, before “making” the appointment, make a list of all the items you need to discuss. Second, when calling to make the appointment, let the person on the other side of the phone know exactly how much will need to be gone over. 

For example, when my son was having problems with his stomach, and bowels, headaches, and difficulties coping with the stress of school, I called his doctor to ask for an appointment. After telling the clerk what I was looking for, she wrote down “stomach issues”. That gave the doctor 5 minutes with him, but what I needed for him was approximately 15-20 minutes to go over what I had tried (remember, a nurse here), what results I got, and what was still going on with more than just his bowels! After the 5 minutes, the doctor needed to move on to his next patient leaving my son and I not fully heard! The physician was so tightly scheduled that even if he wanted to spend the time to work with us, he was just scheduled too tightly, and tending to us meant many other patients would be waiting in the waiting room way past their scheduled time.  A total NO WIN situation for anyone.

So how could that have been handled better? First instead of being very generalized in my conversation with the person helping me with the reservation, I needed to be more specific. Not necessarily with graphic details, but rather with a request for a “longer visit” to tend to 4 separate issues. This way I am communicating to them that my son’s clinical needs were actually a little more involved than a quick check-up with a prescription to be handed to us at the end.

In this way, the practitioner is scheduled for the correct amount of time to ensure he/she has the time to really hear what you have to say, engage you in developing an appropriate plan of care, ensure that all the correct information is received not only by the practitioner but also by the patient and caregiver.

Another way to ensure that you are heard can include e-mailing your practitioner prior to your visit so that he/she can “see” what is the issue that is bringing you in to see them. This then allows the practitioner to review the information, come prepared to meet you as well as make sure they themselves are scheduled correctly to accommodate your needs!

Then, when you are actually in front of your practitioner, have your written list of questions and concerns so that you can make sure you make the best use of your time and theirs. You get what you need, nothing gets “left off the list” and you have a written record of the practitioner’s answers!

In today’s world of “hurry up and wait”, no one likes to waste time. A little preparation done before you make your appointment as well as during the appointment will help you make your appointment more productive, less frustrating, and a much more pleasant experience for both the practitioner and the patient!