By Thomas H.
When you visit your primary care doctor, how long do you expect your appointment to last? Don’t factor any time you might spend in the waiting room. Estimate only the time you spend in the examination room with your doctor.
According to a 2023 study published in JAMA Health Forum, patients spend an average of 15 to 18 minutes with their doctor per appointment. The doctor uses some of those minutes to perform an exam based on the reason for the visit, and a few more typing or writing notes or completing other tasks.
The bottom line is that a doctor’s visit can be over before you know it, and patients may not have enough time to ask questions or accomplish everything they set out to in scheduling their appointment.
But there is a way to optimize every doctor’s appointment–by planning ahead. This is especially important if you are the caregiver of a loved one or client and one of your responsibilities is to accompany and assist them with their medical appointments.
When should you take someone to see the doctor?
- Annual check-ups and regularly scheduled appointments
- Changes in health, bodily functions, or behavior
- Injuries or sudden illness
How can caregivers prepare for their client or loved one’s doctor’s appointment?
First, track the person’s symptoms as you provide care. Note any recent physical or mental changes, including new complaints about pain(s), changes in mood, mobility and functioning, along with any increase or decrease in weight. Next, schedule the appointment for a time of day when the person you care for is most likely to be alert and energetic. A few days before the appointment, sit down with the person and write out a list of questions.
Use the following checklist to ensure that you bring everything you need for the appointment:
- Insurance cards
- Current medication list
- A list of all doctors that the patient sees
- Medical history (for new doctors)
- Calendar/Planner to schedule and record follow up visits (add future appointments to the calendar on your phone if that’s convenient)
Download a printable version of the checklist for your next appointment.
If the person you are caring for is a new client, talk to them about your role and ask them about any specific wishes or preferences they may have for their appointment, for example, if they’d like to spend some time alone with the doctor. Note that in some cases you may need to attend the patient for the whole appointment, for example, if the patient has dementia or poses a fall risk).
If the person has difficulty understanding or remembering:
- Ask the doctor to clarify if things are confusing
- Ask about side effects for new medications/changes in medications
- Ask what to do if there are complications
After the Appointment:
Review any notes you take and discuss the visit with your loved one/client. Make sure you have added any follow-up appointments to your calendar. Call the pharmacy and order any prescriptions or arrange for pick-up or delivery of any prescriptions the doctor may have phoned in or submitted electronically. Call the doctor’s office to get any test results and relay any additional questions you or the person have.
There are multiple factors that impact the amount of time doctors can spend with any one patient, so it’s important to make the best use of the time you have in the examining room. Following these simple guidelines will go a long way towards ensuring a successful visit each time you visit the doctor.
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