What Your Doctor Needs from You when You Visit

The first question asked when you call for an appointment or go in for sick-call is, "what will you be seeing the physician for?" The answer to this question can sometimes be embarrassing but the MD (medical doctor) and nurse need it when they look at your chart before your visit.

When called back for an appointment, the MD will request your vital signs are taken. Vital signs are measures such as blood pressure, pulse rate, body weight, etc. These measures are needed for the doctor to have a physiological assessment of how your body is functioning. For example, I went to the physician for a routine checkup in 1992. My blood pressure was very high. Because of my blood pressure being so high, the doctor suspected a kidney problem. He then ordered scans and eventually surgery that revealed I had a blockage in my kidney---in my case, a cancer relapse.

The next step is usually going back to a physician's room to wait or going into the waiting room until being called again. When doctors are especially busy, they sometimes do not have rooms available so patients wait in the waiting room.

Once in the physician's room waiting a nurse will visit and ask something else the doctor will want to know-what types of medication are you taking? This is a critical piece of information. If you cannot remember the medication names or dosages, bring them with you in a plastic bag to avoid confusion. Certain medications react adversely with others so the physician will certainly ask about medication before prescribing more.

The MD may want to know your family's medical background if the visit is for a problem that can be linked to family history. For example, if a complaint is having consistently high blood pressure the physician will want to know if anyone in your family has the same condition. The MD wants honesty from his patients most of all. If you are a smoker or drinker, admit it. If you did any activities that were harmful in the past and are asked then tell the doctor the truth.

A clinical exam is the next step. The physician may look at your ears and throat if the health concern is a cough, runny nose, fever, etc. If your complaint is pain, the MD will want to know the location of the pain and may palpate (or feel) the area.

If the problem is allergies, sinuses, colds, etc the doctor will prescribe a medication for when you go home. If the medication is an antibiotic do not miss a dose because the physician expects all doses to be taken. Skipping some of the doses may cause a relapse and a return visit to the doctor. If the doctor suspects a worse problem, he may order a chest x-ray. My son was in the hospital last September and his pneumonia was found in this way.

Problems with pain are treated one of two ways-additional testing in the form of ct-scans, x-rays, etc to see where the pain is coming from or receiving a prescription for a pain medication. The physician expects pain medication to be taken on an "as needed" basis. Ultimately what the doctor expects from the patient is medical history, current health, and compliance.

Source: hundreds of appointments