Managing Medical Appointments

Make good use of your medical appointments, advises Jacquelyn Watson, nurse specialist at Glasgow's pain management programme.

Attending appointments can cause a lot of stress and anxiety and you can often leave feeling confused and even angry. Let’s look at how you can get everything you need from these appointments.

Prepare

Writing things down things that you feel are important for you to discuss is a great idea. When you are in a situation it is easy to forget things or be side tracked by just one issue. Put the things that are most important to you at the top of your list as it isn’t always possible to get through everything in one appointment.

List Current Medicines

It is always a good idea to take a list of your current medicines with you. Don’t rely on the health professional having that information as it isn’t always sent to them when you are referred. This can save a lot of time, which you can use to ask questions and share information. Remember your last repeat prescription may not be up to date so check before you go.

Your Appointment

The purpose of the appointment is for you to voice any concerns and issues you have and for the health professional to get a good clear understanding of where things are with you. If you are uncomfortable with other people being present, such as medical students, it is perfectly acceptable for you to ask them to go. They will not mind at all - they may be glad to get a coffee!

Don’t get aggressive, that will upset you and you won’t be able to get your points across. Also the health professional may not concentrate on what you are saying but how you are saying it. Assertiveness techniques such as the ‘scratched record’ are very helpful in these circumstances. Stick to what you want. Don’t be put off but try and remain calm and polite, even if those around you may be a little brusque!

Do You Need More Time?

Arranging double appointments is often possible especially for GP appointments. The extra time can stop you feeling harassed at all the things you need to discuss in the short space of time of a single appointment. It is an option to consider but remember may mean you have to wait longer to get to see your GP.

Take a friend

Having someone else there with you can often help as they can remind you of what you want to discuss and they often remember things afterwards which you were told but have not taken in. Make sure you choose someone who isn't going to take over YOUR appointment and it is someone you trust.

Write it Down

If you don’t have someone there with you who can jot things down, ask the health professional to make a note of key things, for example changes to medication, different treatments, names of diagnoses, or other professionals. Many clinics now do provide written information on your plan of treatment for you to take home with you.

Make your own notes just to remind you of what has been said. Checking your notes is a good way of remembering your previous appointment before you go to a new one, especially when it may have been months since your last consultation and lots may have changed. Your notes will remind you of what you discussed allowing you to update your health professional quickly of any changes and giving you more time to discuss the important points.

Fill it in

Pain clinics, especially, are notorious for asking you to complete lots of questionnaires! Although these are time consuming and it can be difficult to see their relevance, they do give the health professional important information that allows them to assess your needs quickly and direct your consultation appropriately. This information is also used for research purposes, enabling us all to gain a better understanding of chronic pain and its effects. So although the questionnaires are sometimes difficult to complete, please persevere.

Remember

At clinics things do not always run smoothly. Notes may not be available or Clinics run late, for example. It is important to remember that this is equally as frustrating for the staff at the clinics and not always as a result of something that is within their control.

It is really important to remember that different health professionals have different specialities; so feeling that the health professional ignored or discounted something that was very important to you may just mean that it is not their area or field of expertise and they don't feel able to give you advice on that issue. Also medicine in general does have its limitations. The health professional may be an expert in a particular field but there are many things that can’t be resolved or solved and they may not have the answer. It is not that they are keeping information from you. It is simply that they don’t have that information.

Scratched Record Technique

This technique can be a useful way of telling others what you want. It's particularly useful for managing tricky situations, for example asking for your money back or managing medical appointments. It's best to plan what you are going to say beforehand.

Decide what you want or don't want. When preparing for medical appointments, be clear in your mind what you want to get from the appointment, for example, relief of anxiety, acceptance that the pain exists, relief of pain, investigation of the cause of the pain, reassurance or other help.
Express this clearly. Think of a short easy-to-understand statement that reflects your decision. It is useful to think of other ways of expressing the same decision.
Use body language to support your statement. Stand or sit erect, look the other person in the eye, keep your hands quietly by your sides.
Calmly and firmly repeat your statement as many times as necessary for the other person to get your message.
Stick to your message and don't allow yourself to be sidetracked by what the other person says. Listen to them - you may want to acknowledge that you hear what they are saying - but politely and firmly return to your message.

The scratched record technique gets easier with practice so try to mentally rehearse what you want to say. Try writing things down or talking them through with a friend.