Making the Most of Short Appointments

My son has many specialists. Often his appointments go the same way. We get there on time, fill out paperwork, go to a room and chat with a nurse for a while and then see the doctor for maybe 20-30 minutes. 

Those 20-30 minutes are small chunks of time for the doctors and we are one of many patients that they see. To us, those 20-30 minutes mean everything because typically we had to wait months to get in to see that doctor. 

It’s important, then, to make sure that we are making the most of that time and getting the information that we need to make decisions. Here are a few things you can do to make sure that time is well spent in your child’s medical appointments:

• Prepare in advance:  I’m not saying to put in a ton of work because none of us have time for that, but think of three things you hope to get out of the meetings. It doesn’t need to be complex. Write those three things down on your phone. Go into the meeting with a plan. 
• Use the nurses:  When it comes to administrative stuff, like refilling prescriptions, paperwork for equipment or notes for school, typically the nurse will guide you. So, when you have the doctor, don’t worry about that stuff. Ask the big questions and leave the actual work part for your interactions with the nurse. 
• Strive for open-ended questions:  Here’s the thing. Doctors are experts in medicine. We’re experts in our kids. Your questions need to bridge the gap between those two. So open-ended questions and pushing for understanding is important.
• Follow-up questions:  Don’t ever hesitate to ask if you don’t understand something. Ask the doctor follow-up questions. If they need to define a term that you don’t understand, ask them to do so. 
• Keep the conversation flowing and remember your preparation:  It’s easy to get bogged down in conversation and then walk out with regrets about information you were hoping to get. Don’t forget about your preparation. Refer to the notes you made prior to the appointment and make sure you feel good about what info you intended to get.

Facilitating a conversation is an art and as parents and caregivers it’s on us 100% to get the info we need for our kids. The five points above can set you up to make sure you’re making the most of your time when meeting with your doctors. 

Here is relevant information about talking with your doctor.