How not to behave at a doctor's appointment

Medicine does not stand still: every day there are new discoveries, but, like 10 and 100 years ago, to collect a high-quality history, make the correct diagnosis and prescribe an effective treatment, the doctor needs to talk to patient.

Unfortunately, the appointment time is always limited: for example, in state polyclinics an average of 15 minutes is allocated for this. Can a doctor make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment in such a short time? Yes, if the patient is responsible for the doctor's appointment and does not make the following mistakes.

1. Come to an appointment without preparation

It would seem, how can you prepare if you know exactly what hurts you? The first thing that comes to mind is to take all the necessary documents with you: extracts, test results, photographs, and so on. You will also need to highlight the main complaints and talk in detail about the symptoms. Try to build a cause-and-effect relationship with external and internal factors: remember when it all started and how your feelings changed. Also, be sure to tell your doctor about any medications you are taking or taking.

Sometimes it happens that after you have left the doctor, you suddenly remember that you forgot to ask an important question. To prevent this from happening, be sure to prepare a list of points of interest in advance.

And one more important point: do not hesitate to ask stupid questions. This will help the doctor understand how you feel about your health and, if necessary, find the right solutions to calm you down. People are very suspicious, and the doctor's task is to figure out where a patient winds itself up, and where there is a real cause for concern.

2. Wear unsuitable examination clothing

If the consultation involves an examination, then make sure you wear comfortable clothes so you don't waste a lot of time getting undressed and dressed. It will not be superfluous to remind you that you should come to the reception in clean clothes, if possible in advance taking a shower.

3. Start with criticism

Many have faced neglect or misdiagnosis by a doctor. This is, of course, a traumatic experience, but there is no need to tell the doctor about the incompetence of another specialist from the very start, and even more so for this reason, express distrust. You should also not criticize the doctor's actions on the basis of information from the Internet - better ask questions.

If you feel that the doctor does not pay due attention to your words, is rude or wants to end the appointment as soon as possible, then it is better to look for another specialist.

I worked in the regional polyclinic, where "difficult" patients, who had already visited many doctors before without much effect, got to. Of course, some of them were negatively disposed due to previous experience of interaction with the health care system. And this always became a big problem: it took additional time to move on to constructive interaction.

4. Lie to the doctor

Reasons why people lie to the doctor, a huge variety: someone has faced condemnation and does not want to repeat the painful experience, and someone seeks to appear better. Most often, patients withhold information about STDs, hereditary diseases, psychological trauma, and bad habits.

For effective treatment, you need to be as honest with your doctor as possible. A competent professional will not judge you for bad habits or illnesses that you are ashamed to tell about. Remember that hiding certain factors can nullify the full effect of the prescribed treatment.

One of the possible reasons why patients lie or hide information is mistrust of the doctor or of the healthcare system in general. It is important for the patient to understand that withholding information can lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment. To build a trusting relationship with your doctor, show him that his help is important.

Maxim Kotov

5. Ignore the incompetence of the doctor

The modern doctor should follow the principles of evidence-based medicine, and not rely only on his own experience. Do not be lazy and check which drugs and the doctor prescribed the methods of treatment for you.

If the doctor uses alternative medicine methods, for example, recommends homeopathic remedies or bioresonance diagnosis is a reason to doubt his competence (unless, of course, you deliberately apply to the clinic of an alternative medicine). In order to avoid such situations, it is better to look for reviews about a specialist in advance.

If, after the consultation, you still have doubts about the diagnosis or the treatment suggests serious consequences for organism, it will be useful to consult several doctors - this will help to avoid misdiagnosis and treatment. For example, banal osteochondrosis, which some people have been unsuccessfully treated for years, may be a rare congenital condition in which the cerebellum descends into the foramen magnum and squeezes the medulla oblongata, which causes strong pain.

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All doctors agree that it is better not to start the disease. See a doctor as soon as something starts to bother you. In addition, it will help you avoid the situation when you have to diagnose and treat several ailments at once that have accumulated over the years of neglect of doctors. Be healthy and take care of yourself!