Have you ever gone to the doctor, driven home, and then remembered an important question you had forgotten to ask? Having done this a few times, I decided I needed to be more prepared before stepping into the waiting room.

I don’t know how your doctor’s practice works, but in mine, after waiting in the reception area, you are shown to an examining room where you wait a few minutes (at the very least) to see the doctor. When they enter the room, they immediately turn on their laptop or tablet and start verbally flinging information at you. On one hand, this is a good thing because they can quickly update your file with needed changes. However, because the total time spent in the exam room now averages only 10 to 15 minutes, most of it is spent exchanging information in this manner, with a small amount of time spent by the doctor on an actual exam.

Whether or not that’s how your doctor works, my point is that now more than ever, because office visits have become so short, you must prepare in advance. With that in mind, I offer the following suggestions to help you make the most of the time spent with your doctor:

1. Paperwork and Medical Records

If you see a new doctor, ask them to send you the paperwork to fill out at home when you make the appointment. The paperwork may even be available on the doctor’s website. This way, you can fill in the blanks using your medical records at home, which beats sitting in the waiting room and trying to remember what year you had that last tetanus shot or who in your extended family has heart problems.

Also, if you have your medical records from your former doctor, write a reminder to take them to your appointment with your new doctor. If you don’t have them, you will have to fill out a release form allowing your new doctor’s office to obtain them.

2. Medications

Take a list of all medications, vitamins and/or herbs you take regularly, the dosage and how often you take them. This list is crucial for a first visit. Remember to update it if the doctor changes any of your medications.

It’s a good idea to keep a copy of your medication list in your wallet or make sure your “emergency contact” person has a copy in case an emergency lands you in the hospital. The medical staff will need to know what you are taking, and you may not be in any condition to tell them.

Related: 5 Options for Medications Not Covered by Medicare

3. Questions

Make a list of all questions and concerns you have. This includes things such as whether you can switch your medication to a generic alternative, what to do about the pain you’ve had in your shoulder for the past four weeks, etc.

4. New Prescriptions

If the doctor gives you new prescriptions, ask them to explain what they are, how they will help, dosage, approximate cost, possible drug interactions with anything else you are taking, etc. This is the time to ask all your questions about any new medications. Also, find out how long you must take them before seeing results and the possibility of any adverse reactions.

5. New Health Concerns

If you are seeing your doctor about a specific new condition, ask the cause of the problem, what tests might be required for diagnosis, what your treatment options are, the safety of all treatment options, as well as benefits and risks, and the prognosis. The doctor may be unable to answer all your questions initially. However, you can be sure they will tell you as much as possible. You most likely will have to wait for test results for other answers.

6. Follow Up Appointments

Ask if you will need another appointment to follow up on anything and, if so, when you need to return. If you do, schedule it while you are there, as it is easy to go home and forget all about scheduling another appointment. Most offices will call to remind you of your appointment the day or two before if you happen to forget.

By now, you’ve probably thought of a few things to add to this list. Hopefully, these will all help you have a better experience at the doctor’s office.

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Reviewed April 2024