Talking with your doctor

Communicating with your health care provider is very important.  Research studies have demonstrated a correlation between effective health care provider-patient communication and improved health outcomes.  

What were you hoping to solve at this visit?  As a patient, you should focus on one or two of your most important concerns.  Are you concerned about your high blood pressure or diabetes treatment?  Have you had a cough for an extended time and would like to get relief?  Try to stay focused on the most pressing concerns.  If you bring up too many topics, the discussion will get distracted from the main topic and when the visit is over, you will not have gotten your main question answered.