TAKING CHARGE 3

CONTACTING YOUR PCP WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR CURRENT HEALTH

You've got a primary care physician (PCP).  Maybe, you've seen a specialist, maybe not.  You're at home, and you start to feel crummy.

You think that it might be related to a condition that you and your doc talked about.  It's not an emergency - you can breath without difficulty, you don't have a painful heaviness in your chest, you aren't fainting or dizzy uncontrollably, and you don't have a fever greater than 100.5deg F.

You want to give your doctor a call and see if you need an appointment.  You aren't running to urgent care because they don't know you like your PCP knows you - and their job is NOT to know you like your PCP - and they probably will not update your electronic chart even if they have that capability.

What phone number are you likely to call?

• There's the number you got from the doctor's office for after hours calls
• Maybe you get an on-call doc or a nurse triage line
• If it's during office hours, the phone number may be different from the after hours number
• In any case, hopefully you received a phone number for questions

What you need to prepare BEFORE making the phone call

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• What symptoms am I experiencing? 
• When did they begin? 
• What makes the condition better or worse? 
• What is background that the doc or nurse might need
  -- don't assume who you are talking to knows about you and your chart
• What are my questions or concerns?

Have the following with you in case the person on the other end of the line asks:

• What medications am I taking, including prescriptions or over-the-counter medications, vitamins, herbs, or nutritional supplements? 
• Be sure to note the name of the medication, the dose, and how often you take it.

From UMN - How can I communicate effectively 

BEFORE you leave the doc's office or the telephone call or however you contacted a provider

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Follow-up questions

• What was the result of the exam? Were any problems identified or diagnoses made?
• If laboratory or other tests were done, when and how will I get the results? Will I also receive an interpretation of the results - in other words, how will I know if they are normal?
• Are there screening or diagnostic tests that should be scheduled? If so, when or how often?
• If a diagnosis was made, what are my treatment options?
• What recommendations does the healthcare provider have for helping me maintain or improve my health or prevent disease?

Medication questions

• What is being prescribed and why? What symptoms does it treat?
• How and when should the medication be taken? What is the dose and frequency? Should I take it with food or water?
• Are there side effects?
• How will I know if the medication is working? When will I notice, or how long before I can expect a change?
• Will the medication interfere with any other prescriptions or substances I'm taking?
• What should I do if I forget to take a dose? Take another? Skip it?
• How much does it cost? Will my insurance cover it? Is there a generic subsitute?
• Are there alternative medications to consider? Are there other medications that might have fewer side effects, or are less expensive?

From UMN - How can I communicate effectively