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Most people tend to be passive and "yes" only when consulting a doctor about their complaints. This is a golden opportunity for you to ask questions directly to the experts. Don't be afraid to say fussy. Doctors happy if the patient is actively asking. Remember, "ashamed to ask astray on the road." Embarrassed to ask the doctor, your health might be at stake. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask lots of questions to the doctor.
If you are confused about what to ask when consulting a doctor, see the guide here.
Why ask many doctors when consulting?
The question and answer process is the key to excellent communication with doctors. If you don't ask questions, your doctor will probably assume that you already know all the information he is conveying or don't want to know more about the news.Therefore, be proactive when you consult a doctor. Ask questions when you don't know medical terms, such as hypertension, angina, abscess, aneurysm, and so on.
Also, don't hesitate to ask your doctor about the instructions that you don't understand — starting from the rules of taking the right medicine to abstinence that must be avoided during treatment.
Here are some basic questions that you need to ask your doctor.
Ask your doctor about your health condition.
Diagnosis helps the doctor know the disease or physical problem you are experiencing. The doctor makes a diagnosis based on the symptoms you are complaining about and the results of a physical examination, lab tests, and other tests.
If patients already understand their medical conditions, doctors may find it easier to make decisions about the best treatment that suits their situation. Especially if you already know which treatment would be suitable for your condition.
Conversely, if you don't understand your condition, don't hesitate to ask your doctor. Ask your doctor to explain in detail about the disease you are experiencing and the most persuasive reasons why you can get it.
The following is a list of questions that can be asked by a doctor to find out the diagnosis of your disease:
- Why do I get this disease? What is the most potent cause?
- How common is this disease?
- Is this disease contagious?
- Is there a medical procedure that I need to do?
- Can I cure this disease?
- Does this disease cause long-term effects?
- How to treat this disease?
- Can this disease be prevented? How to avoid?
- How often should I see a doctor?
- How do you find out more information about this disease?
Some diseases may not be cured and can last a lifetime. However, that does not mean you can not control the disease. With proper care, people with severe medical conditions can still do activities like ordinary people in general.
Ask your doctor about the medicine you take
After learning about your illness, your doctor will usually prescribe some medication to relieve symptoms. Now, when the doctor prescribes the medicine, make sure you know the name of the drug and understand why the doctor prescribed the medicine to you.
In general, here is a list of questions that you can ask when your doctor prescribes certain medications:
- What is the name of the drug specified?
- How many times do I have to take medicine?
- Are there any side effects after taking medicine?
- What if I forget to take medicine?
- What is the danger if the drug dosage is reduced or added?
- Should this drug be consumed until it runs out?
- Are there any restrictions on food/drinks that should be avoided when taking medicine?
- Do I need to see a doctor again after taking medicine?
- I have an allergy to certain drugs, is this drug safe to take?
- If at any time my illness recurs, can this medicine be retaken?
- Can this drug be purchased without a doctor's prescription?
Don't forget, make sure you tell all the other medicines, whether they are vitamins, supplements or herbs, that you are taking when you are consulting a doctor. This is done so that the medication prescribed by your doctor does not cause interactions with other drugs that you are also taking. Also, it is obligatory to inform your doctor about your medical history as a whole.
In order not to forget, write down all the answers given by the doctor in a particular book.
If within the prescribed time, the medicine prescribed by the doctor does not work or it actually makes your condition worse, immediately consult a doctor.
Ask the doctor about medical procedures to be performed.
Sometimes, giving medication alone may not be enough, and doctors need to do specific medical procedures. Yes, your doctor may need to do blood tests, x-rays, or other methods to find out the cause of the disease you are experiencing, treat the disease, or monitor your overall condition.
Well, before the doctor performs various medical procedures, the following is a list of statements that you can submit:
- Why do I need or need to do this procedure?
- How does the procedure take place?
- What should I prepare before doing the inspection?
- What should I do after doing the inspection?
- Are there any possible side effects? How long do side effects usually occur?
- How long does it take to find out the results of the inspection?
- How much does it cost to carry out the procedure?
When the results are out, ask the doctor to explain the meaning as detailed as possible. You might be able to ask your doctor for a copy of the results of the examination.
But before asking, ask first whether the hospital is willing to give a copy of the results of the examination to the patient or not because some hospitals do not allow examination results brought by patients.
Tips for remembering the instructions given by the doctor
Not everyone immediately remembers all the instructions given by the doctor. If you feel you are very close to the doctor, there are times when you might not understand what he is saying.
For all instructions given by the doctor to slap on the head, here are some things you need to do:
Ask again if you're still confused
Don't hesitate to ask your doctor about any information that you don't understand or don't understand.For example, "Doc, can you repeat that? I'm still confused. "Or" Doc, I don't understand the term you're saying, what does that mean?
Repeat what the doctor said
Another way you can do is to repeat the statement made by the doctor.You can repeat the statement by saying, "Doc, means that hypertension is another high blood term, huh?" Or "Doc, means the conclusion ..."