TIPS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR DOCTOR
“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.”
~Wilson Mizner
Assume a position of comfort
Establish eye contact
Listen without interrupting
Show attention with nonverbal cues, such as nodding
Allow expression of feelings
Make sure your concerns are heard
Pay attention to clues, like your doctor looking distracted, wait and come back when he/she has finished their thought (I am horrible at this, because I am afraid I will forget, but if the doctor’s mind is on something else, he/she isn’t ready to listen)
Take a list and put your priority at the top, you might not have time to cover it all in one setting
Make it clear that you want the doctor as a TEAM member in your healthcare
Give the doctor credit for working with the information you have given
If the doctor isn’t listening, GET A NEW ONE
(Also see, “Does Your Doctor Have Wax in His Ears?”)