When you go to the doctor, it’s often for a specific problem, such as ongoing sinus congestion or that nagging back pain that won’t let up. But it’s also an opportunity to learn more about what’s going on in your body, understand why you’re receiving a specific treatment and find out how to be as healthy as possible.
Frequently, with brief doctor’s appointments and patients’ haste to be seen for whatever ails them, patients miss the opportunity to ask doctors key questions about their overall health and well-being.
However, it’s important to take advantage of the short amount of time with the one person who can decipher your blood test results, explain how to best manage an ongoing disease or directly address your deepest — but often unspoken — bodily concerns. Patients may also hesitate to ask about basic issues within the medical practice that would make office visits go more smoothly.
[SEE: Health Screenings You Need Now.]
10 Questions Doctors Wish You Would Ask
Here are ten crucial questions that doctors wish their patients would ask to help you make informed decisions about your health.
— What preventive care services are right for me?
— How does my family history affect my risk for certain conditions?
— How can I manage my symptoms?
— Are there lifestyle changes that could improve my health and/or condition?
— Why are you prescribing this medication?
— How many patients with my condition have you treated?
— Can we discuss ‘X’ sexual or reproductive health concerns?
— Do you understand what I just said?
— Can we talk about end-of-life care planning?
— When should I come see you again?
[READ: Most Common Health Problems]
What Preventive Care Services Are Right for Me?
Preventive care is intended to target disease prevention and keep the patient healthy, so it’s important to learn about how to stay ahead of health conditions before they become a more serious concern.
“I would like to hear more patients ask about preventive care,” says Dr. Lisa Ravindra, an assistant professor in the department of internal medicine and a primary care physician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “That means discussing current guidelines on age-appropriate tests and vaccines.”
Most health care plans are required by law to provide coverage for preventive health services at no cost to the patient. Discuss with your health care provider and insurance company to understand which services are covered by your plan.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an influential and independent panel of medical experts, does extensive research to determine which preventive measures are most important and potentially lifesaving for specific age groups and genders. You can search the USPSTF recommendations by topic online.
Preventive health care includes a range of services, such as:
— A wellness exam, which is a routine annual visit to your doctor to evaluate overall wellness and often includes a physical exam. For example, your doctor may check your heart rate and blood pressure, listen to your breathing, test your reflexes and check your skin for irregular moles or freckles.
— Blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol tests.
— Cancer screenings, such as mammograms to screen for breast cancer, colonoscopies for colorectal cancer and pap smears for cervical cancer.
— Immunizations, like the yearly flu vaccine.
Immunization guidelines are typically clear-cut, with the notable exception of continually updated COVID-19 recommendations. “That’s been a little bit of a moving target,” says Dr. Samuel Durso, a geriatrician and professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
Your doctor’s office should be able to advise you on seasonal immunizations, like when to get a flu shot or whether you need a tetanus shot update or a pneumonia or shingles vaccine.
Doctors and patients alike can go online and view standard vaccination recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the CDC’s most recent information on COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. These guidelines are clear, but it’s important to ask your doctor if you have a symptom or medical condition that may affect particular immunization guidance.
[SEE: Did You Choose a Good Doctor?]
How Does My Family History Affect My Risk for Certain Conditions?
It’s important to discuss family medical history with your doctor. Some medical conditions affect multiple family members across generations. If first-degree relatives — such as a parent or sibling — or even more distant relatives have heart disease, an autoimmune disease or some types of cancer, you could be at higher risk.
“Now that we have more advances in genetic testing for conditions that run in families — for example, BRCA1 and BRCA2 (gene mutations related to breast and ovarian cancer) and some hereditary colon cancers — knowing this information can be lifesaving,” Ravindra says. Pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer have also been linked to BRCA gene mutations.
Depending on your family history, your doctor may refer you to a genetic counselor to perform genetic tests, such as if you’re at risk for a BRCA gene mutation. Or they may recommend early screening, like starting to get regular colonoscopies before the age of 45 if colon cancer runs in your family.
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How Can I Manage My Symptoms?
If you have a chronic medical condition, particularly if you’re dealing with symptoms that affect your daily life, routine appointments with your doctor alone may not be enough. Asking your doctor for strategies to manage your symptoms helps you find relief and maintain your well-being between visits.
When you have congestive heart failure, for instance, you might need periodic check-ins by a nurse to monitor your blood pressure and weight, make sure your legs aren’t swelling from excess fluid and you’re not experiencing shortness of breath.
Many people with diabetes benefit from speaking with a certified diabetes educator or registered dietitian, as needed, for expert advice on medications or nutrition in the moment.
“You might ask doctors how they’re paired up with social work, dietitians and therapists,” Durso says.
It’s also important to know the best way to get in touch with your doctor’s office if you experience any symptom flare-ups or issues between visits. Each medical practice has its own processes and procedures. Being aware of the basics — like office hours or navigating their online communication portal — or intricacies of obtaining test results allows you to navigate communication more smoothly.
Although you get contact numbers when being discharged from an outpatient procedure, it may be challenging to reach someone who is able to help.
“You want to know how the doctor communicates and how they’re going to stay in touch,” Durso says.
Also, pay attention to subtle cues about doctor-patient interactions, he suggests. Does the doctor take time to ask questions, listen to your answers, make eye contact and have a conversation? Or are they more focused on typing onto their computers?
Are There Lifestyle Changes That Could Improve My Health and/or Condition?
Getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t just improve your mood the next day. If you’re experiencing insomnia, it can impact your physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation has been linked in studies to increased long-term risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and shorter-term risks like coming down with a common cold.
Sleep also plays a major factor in cognitive performance. Disrupted or fragmented sleep, or an irregularly timed sleep schedule can affect your mood. According to an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Pharmacy and Therapeutics, studies have shown that inadequate sleep can affect your daily performance, working memory and ability to process information, and it can impact your emotional interpretation of events and exacerbate stress levels.
Let your doctor know if you’re having trouble sleeping and ask how sleep affects your health, Ravindra advises. That opens the conversation to possible causes of sleep deprivation that can be addressed through lifestyle changes or other means.
Why Are You Prescribing This Medication?
Too often doctors expect patients to blindly trust their judgment when prescribing medications. But you deserve more information.
Open communication is key to improving doctor-patient relationships. On top of understanding why you’re receiving the drug, your doctor should also communicate with you about:
— Dosage.
— Instructions, like whether to take a drug on an empty stomach.
— Side effects.
— Potential interactions with other medications you take.
When patients ask why they’re being given a certain medication, it’s an opportunity for the doctor and patient to have an open conversation about treatment.
“I want patients to understand what they are taking and why they are taking it,” says Dr. Michael Langan, an internal medicine physician affiliated with several medical centers in Ohio. “I try to explain this routinely, but sometimes it is difficult to completely understand a patient’s perspective on their illness and medications. If they don’t understand, I want to know.”
You may also want to ask if you or your child really need an antibiotic. Parents will often bring their child into the doctor’s office because of a cold and expect the physician to write a prescription for an antibiotic, even though it’s not necessary and will not cure a cold. This is not only careless, but it has also led to a rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
“Physicians often feel the need to prescribe an antibiotic to appease the parent,” says Dr. Stan Spinner, chief medical officer of Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Urgent Care in Houston. “Such a question from the parent will lessen the likelihood that an antibiotic may be prescribed for a condition that is likely to resolve on its own.”
Antibiotics are largely intended and effective for bacterial infections. For most viral infections, symptoms will resolve on their own, but effective antivirals are available in some cases. For example, your doctor may prescribe the well-known Tamiflu, an antiviral that — if prescribed within the first 48 hours of flu symptom onset — can help make flu symptoms milder and shorten the time of illness.
How Many Patients With My Condition Have You Treated?
Having confidence in your doctor means you’re more apt to follow their instructions. Asking about their previous experience with your condition is a great way to ensure that you’re getting the best treatment you can. Having experience is critical in managing complex cases for many conditions.
Another question to ask is: “If it were your family member, would you recommend this to them?”
That allows doctors to recontextualize a routine professional discussion to one on a more human, relatable level, giving your doctor an opportunity to shift their perspective.
“Sometimes you have to remind yourself, ‘I have a mother, I have a wife, I have a sister. Would I want this for them?'” says Dr. Tia Guster, an obstetrician-gynecologist and department chair with Piedmont Healthcare in Newnan, Georgia.
Can We Discuss ‘X’ Sexual or Reproductive Health Concerns?
It’s 2023, but many people are still reluctant to discuss intimate health concerns. However, it’s hard to shock or surprise your doctor, who has likely heard it all.
“People are so embarrassed to talk about sex,” Guster says. “But you should talk about sex. Because you’re probably not the only one having a problem with it.”
No need to mumble or use discreet euphemisms.
“Just straight-up ask the question and ask it in the tone you normally would,” Guster advises. “If you use some kind of offhand term, just use it — because we’re used to hearing about all the body parts with all kinds of different names. You will not be offensive to us. If you try to filter it for us, sometimes we may miss what you ask.”
“People really hesitate to ask about or describe their vaginal discharge,” Guster says. “Everybody’s always so squeamish.”
Your doctor won’t be put off. In fact, they want to hear about it. While some descriptions of discharge are normal, some are not.
“Just tell me what it is, and I can tell you if this is on the line or not,” Guster says.
Similarly, men should feel free to ask their urologists or primary care providers about any type of discharge or symptoms of concern.
Continence is another concern that patients sometimes hesitate to voice.
“A lot of people are very chary about mentioning that they don’t go out too much because they’re afraid they can’t get to the bathroom, particularly if they’ve been put on medicines like diuretics,” Durso says. “Doctors should bring that up.”
Either way, speaking up about this common issue can help solve the problem.
Do You Understand What I Just Said?
Communication poses a big barrier to getting great care, but knowing how to talk to your doctor effectively isn’t always intuitive. With fast-moving appointments and medical jargon in the mix, it can feel like doctors and patients aren’t taking part in the same conversation.
“The most important question that patients should ask is, ‘Do you understand what I said?'” Guster says.
Sometimes, patients say they’ll relate a concern to a physician who may then come back with a response that doesn’t fit the patient’s meaning or need, Guster says. Physicians and patients alike can benefit from asking, “Am I understood?”
Can We Talk About End-of-Life Care Planning?
End-of-life care, also known as palliative care, is a critical aspect of health care that focuses on providing comfort, dignity and support to individuals.
Particularly for elderly patients and those with chronic illnesses, it’s important to ask and discuss end-of-life care, as well as to address advanced health care directives. Advanced directives include the medical power of attorney for health care and living wills, which spell out choices such as whether you want interventions like CPR, mechanical ventilation or tube feeding, and under what conditions.
Starting end-of-life discussions can feel uncomfortable. But having these conversations when you’re healthy, and not when a crisis is occurring, helps establish your wishes at a time when you can effectively communicate to your doctor what’s important to you.
“This can help ensure (patients’) priorities are followed through on — whether that’s aggressive means to prolong life or comfort care when the time comes,” Ravindra says.
When Should I Come See You Again?
Doctor visits shouldn’t be relegated to the times you’re sick, says Dr. Philip Werthman, director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine & Vasectomy Reversal in California. While he suggests that women tend to be more proactive about their health, men should schedule regular appointments for checkups so they can be sure they’re living their healthiest life possible.
“I wish the men would take preventive care more seriously and start seeing a doctor in their late 30s on a regular or annual basis, much like women see their gynecologists every year for a checkup,” Werthman says. “They can then be empowered to make healthier choices in their lives and prevent diseases, while also giving the physician the opportunity to detect diseases before they become symptomatic.”
Get the Most Out of Your Doctor’s Visit
Your interactions with your doctor extend far beyond addressing immediate health concerns. By asking the right questions, you empower yourself to take charge of your health and create a strong partnership with your health care provider.
You shouldn’t hesitate to ask your primary care physician about anything related to your health.
“For instance, a patient who has finger numbness may have Googled their symptoms and be worried about stroke or diabetes as a cause,” Ravindra says. “However, a thorough exam and asking the right questions on my end will easily differentiate these serious conditions from something more benign like carpal tunnel syndrome.”
Be upfront with your fears, she adds.
Once physicians know what’s really on your mind, they can address your concerns head-on. So next time you step into the doctor’s office, remember that proactive communication is the key to quality health care, and it’s a two-way street.
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Questions Doctors Wish Their Patients Would Ask originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 08/16/23: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
