How do I prepare for a visit to the doctor?

Anyone who visits a doctor has to answer a lot of questions - and will be given a lot of information. It is therefore worth preparing well for your visit: This helps both sides to find the best possible treatment.

Especially if it’s your first visit to a particular doctor, you should make sure you take enough time to prepare.

“Patients should prepare themselves for their visit to the doctor. This is really important because doctors often have limited time. So you can’t ramble on for too long, you should make a list of the most important points in advance. This saves time for everyone”, says Heike Norda, Chairperson of the Independent Association of Active Pain Patients in Germany SchmerzLOS e.V., “because as a patient, you also need to have an understanding of the doctor’s perspective.” Heike Norda has her own personal experience in this regard, having had many conversations with doctors in her life. She therefore encourages patients to actively work together with the doctor to ensure a satisfactory consultation. You can read a detailed interview with Heike Norda here.

Anyone who’s attending a doctor’s practice for the first time, or who has been waiting for a long time to see a specialist, wants to get the most out of their appointment. Good preparation can contribute to achieving this, as people who are better prepared ask more questions, get more detailed information and end up more satisfied with the outcome: “What a doctor needs to know about me”.

Of course, the decisive factor is why you’re consulting a doctor in the first place. If you merely need a follow-up prescription or a sick note, that’s obviously different from if you’ve been suffering from unexplained headaches for weeks.

Here's a possible to-do list ahead of an important doctor’s appointment:

• Formulate the precise reason for your visit.
• Think of some practical clothes to wear, that are quick and easy to slip in and out of.
• Most importantly, make notes about what’s troubling you: Of course, you already know what your symptoms are. But also note down how long it has been happening, how often, and in which situations. Before the appointment, think about the best way to describe your pain, your unspecific feeling of being unwell, or unusual tiredness. And don’t forget to note down any recent changes like noticeable weight loss.
• You should have your medical history to hand – only the most important points – listed in chronological order: operations, more serious illnesses, major medical examinations (ideally with results), allergies. Your medical history should also include any family history of illness, such as diabetes, heart attacks or cancer. This information is especially important for the first visit to a doctor’s practice and the notes will help to jog your memory during the appointment. It doesn’t mean that you’ll have to recite the whole list, but it will be helpful to have the info at hand if the doctor has any follow-up questions.
• If you have them, you should bring x-rays, blood test results, or a copy of your most recent doctor’s report, especially if you’ve been referred to a specialist. Do you have records of your blood pressure or blood sugar levels? These are also some of the documents you can show or give to the doctor if needed.
• Write down which medications you’re currently taking and at what dose; this also includes any medications that you’ve been prescribed but are not / no longer taking and why. Do you recall having any noteworthy effects from certain prescribed medications, or perhaps side effects, or have you taken any medications that didn’t seem to have any impact at all? “This information is hugely helpful, because it enables any doctor to plan your future treatment as individually as possible”, explains Prof. Ulrike Bingel, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Pain Medicine at the University Hospital Essen. The best thing to bring would be an overview – a medication plan – that you have received as a patient, for example from your family doctor. If you’re feeling nervous or agitated, you might sometimes even forget the names of medications you’ve been taking for years. The method of administration (e.g. drops, tablets, suppositories) and the dosage are also important to mention. This list should cover all prescribed medications, but also any over-the-counter medications like painkillers.
• Don’t forget to mention any food supplements or herbal medicines you’re taking, such as vitamin supplements, CBD oder fish oil capsules, medicinal herbal teas – these self-prescribed extras to boost your health often don’t seem worth mentioning, but due to possible interactions, your doctor needs to know everything you’re taking as well as how much and how often. “There’s a huge and sometimes astonishing variety of interactions”, says Prof. Bingel, giving the following example: “If you’re partial to a drink of grapefruit juice, you should be aware that grapefruits contain substances that can interact with a large number of medications and increase the concentration of active ingredients of a medication in the body! The quinine in tonic water and bitter lemon can also cause interactions”.
• Do you see any alternative practitioners or homeopaths, or do you use Chinese medicine – perhaps for the same symptoms that have brought you to the doctor? If so, make a note of that too and mention it during your appointment. It’s not a good idea to keep quiet about it, maybe because you’re afraid the doctor wouldn’t approve. A relationship of trust is the cornerstone of successful treatment. The doctor needs to be able to trust you and you need to be able to trust the doctor. Read more about this in the text: “What a doctor needs to know about me”.
• Note down all of the questions that are going through your mind before your visit to the doctor, as you might forget lots of things once you’re in the consulting room. You’ll also be able to remember your fears and concerns more easily if you’ve written them down. Only if you voice these will your doctor be able to address them. “If patients don’t mention their concerns, for example about a particular medication, and instead only take the medication irregularly or not at all once they’re at home, the chance of successful treatment built on a foundation of trust is lost”, knows pain therapist Prof. Ulrike Bingel from experience.
• Take a pen and paper with you – if you write down some key words, it’s easier to remember all the information the doctor gave you once you’re back at home than if you try to remember exactly what was said …
• Anyone who is unsure about their doctor, or perhaps can’t hear very well or is feeling agitated, should definitely take a trusted person with them to the appointment. This companion will be able to remind the patient about important questions or make notes if the patient is too nervous to do so. In any case, it’s always a good idea to take someone else along, firstly because they can provide emotional support and secondly because two pairs of eyes and ears are better than one. The understanding of a diagnosis, for example, can differ quite widely between different people. With two people, it’s easier to sum everything up after the doctor’s visit and perhaps discuss it. It has been frequently demonstrated that a feeling of having control over an illness promotes a positive attitude towards the treatment. Having control means not feeling helpless.

Our request: Tell us your personal story involving the placebo effect! Medicine is also shaped by people’s stories. This is why we’re gathering patients’ diverse experiences regarding their own expectations for the Collaborative Research Centre “Treatment Expectation”. You can find out more here.