How to be a Proactive Patient
5 Tips and 5 Dangerous Assumptions to Avoid to Make Sure You’re Getting the Most of Out Your Health Care (Plus One Simple Tool to Help You Do It)
I was once going over a new patient’s medical history with them and when we got to their list of allergies, they said, “Oh yes, I’m deathly allergic to this little white pill.” “What little white pill?” I asked, obviously concerned. “Hm, I can’t remember the name of it or why I took it, but I ended up in the hospital the last time I took it.”
As you might imagine, the description, “little white pill” told me exactly nothing about what I should avoid prescribing to this patient and it put that person in a very dangerous situation to not remember what it was. Unfortunately, situations happen like this more often than you’d think, and tracking down this kind of information takes hours upon hours of manpower for your physicians and their staff—time they would much rather be spending treating you!
Back in the day, the same primary care physician would treat an entire family and know each person’s medical history like the back of their hand. They might be neighbors with their patients, send their kids to the same schools, and shop at the same local stores. These days, our cities as well as our health care systems have become much more complicated, which is why it is more important than ever to take an active approach to your own health care. These five tips and five dangerous assumptions to avoid will help you feel in control on your next doctor’s visit.
1) Know your own medical history.
This might seem like an easy one, but many patients arrive at their physician’s office only to realize they have forgotten the exact name of the procedure they had ten years ago, can’t remember what kind of cancer their grandmother had, or the exact name of the medication they take daily. Your medical history should include major medical events, asthma, high blood pressure, stroke, and/or heart attack as well as things like past hospitalizations.
Don’t take your visit time to write down or verbalize your medical history. Have it written down before you arrive so your doctor doesn’t have to choose between spending that time answering your questions or going over your health history with you.
2) Don’t be easy-going; be accurate.
“I have no medical problems” is an easy thing to say, and patients often feel they’re being helpful when they give short, concise responses like this. However, if it’s not correct, don’t say it. We need to know about that one hospitalization 5 years ago and the statins you take for high blood pressure. It may seem like a simple part of your day-to-day for you, but to your doctor, it’s an important piece of the puzzle.
3) Know which details are most important.
If you had a UTI once and you were treated for it 10 years ago, it’s not relevant and you can skip it on your medical history. BUT if you have chronic UTIs and are often on medication for it, write it down. However, too much information is always better than not enough! If you have a doubt about whether something is relevant or not, write it down and let your doctor decide.
4) Dates are important!
Make a list of every prior surgery and major medical event alongside the date you had it. And do figure this out ahead of time. We often think we’ll remember and then our time in the waiting room might be shorter than we expected or our memory might fail.
5) Change up your approach.
Be willing to change your mindset and change the way you approach your care. Your doctor can only provide care based on the puzzle pieces you give them. Particularly when you are seeing a physician for the first time, take the medical history portion of the exam seriously. This is part of your medical record. It will follow you and you want it to be as accurate as possible so there are no surprises and you don’t waste time. Treat it like you’re signing one of the most important documents in your life.
Yes, we have electronic medical records these days, but they’re not all connected, so not every doctor you meet will have access to the same information. Do not assume I know what happened to you last week just because another doctor logged it in a computer somewhere. The system is imperfect and it will take your active engagement to make sure your care goes as smoothly as possible.
Dangerous Assumptions:
I don’t have an illness anymore if it’s controlled with a medication. If your blood pressure is being controlled with a statin or your diabetes is treated with insulin, that doesn’t mean you don’t have that illness anymore. Be sure it goes on your list!
If I get a test done and I don’t hear the results, they must have been normal. Always follow up on your test results. There is too much room for human and technological error not to ask. Your test needed to have a report written, that report had to be filed properly, it had to be faxed, that fax needed to be received, it had it filed into your chart correctly, and it had to land on your doctor’s desk. That’s six opportunities for something to go wrong! It’s always worth a follow-up phone call or patient portal message.
If I get a referral to another doctor or for a test, they will contact me if it’s really important. Ideally, all referrals would be scheduled for you, but similar to the previous assumption, there can be a lot of reasons no one calls you to schedule. If your doctor sends you to a specialist, it’s important you go, so don’t hesitate to call.
Follow-up appointments aren’t important. Not at all! These are important opportunities to check in on lingering symptoms, receive new test results, discuss further options for care, and more. If your doctor wants to see you again, be sure you show up.
Don’t assume you know more than your provider. Google is great for basic information, but it will never match your doctor’s 70,000 hours of training and experience. If you have doubts or don’t feel you’re being heard, you can always ask for a second opinion.
Patients often assume that some unseen staff member will take care of their medical records and everything will remain in perfect order without any work on their end. They may also get frustrated when their care can’t happen as quickly as they like as staff members struggle to track down the name of that “little, white pill” they mentioned earlier.
Maintaining your own detailed and accurate patient history is the best way to make sure you receive top-of-the-line care.
Do you want help knowing how to put together a patient history report? Download my sample patient history and free supplemental guide! You can fill it out at home in your free time and update it whenever you have something new to add. Bring it with you to any doctor’s visit and they’ll be able to use the information to provide you the best care possible.
