Visiting Your Health-Care Provider

1. Before your appointment, learn as much as you can about your medical condition so you can understand what he/she is talking about during your appointment.
   
   
2. Bring a list of your medicines and doses with you each time. Keep it current. List any herbal or dietary supplements you are taking. There can be interactions between prescription drugs and supplements that can be dangerous to your health.
   
   
3. Write a list of your questions. Keep to the subject of your appointment. If you have another problem, make another appointment. Do not ask for advice for family members.
   
   
4. Write down your current medical conditions – how far you can walk, any problems you are having, etc.
   
   
5. Take a pad and pen so you can write down any instructions.
   
   
6. If you have questions about an instruction, ask them at that time.
   
   
7. Ask if you should continue on all your other medications.
   
   
8. If you are given a new prescription, be sure you understand why you are to take it. Ask about possible side effects of any new medications.
   
   
9. Ask for any refill prescriptions you may need.
   
   
10. Keep current with your preventive health care and know the dates of your last testing or vaccinations. Discuss with your doctor which preventive treatments and tests you might need, such as the flu vaccine, the pneumonia vaccine (Pneumovax), a colonoscopy for colorectal cancer, a mammogram for breast cancer, a Pap smear for cervical cancer, a bone density test for osteoporosis, or a screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
    
    
11. Be honest when answering questions – you do yourself only harm if you are not truthful with what you are doing or how you are feeling.
    
    

Remember, the only way the health-care provider knows what is going on is for you to tell him/her. You must provide complete information and it is your job to remember and follow all instructions.