Many people reflect that one of the most annoying things about going to the hospital is that there is too little time to communicate with doctors.
Sitting doctors have to see so many patients a day, leaving extremely limited time for each patient. Therefore, how to make full use of the limited minutes in the outpatient service so that doctors can have a more accurate and in-depth understanding of their illness is very important.
Dr. Clove shares 6 communication skills here to help everyone to transmit the most important information to doctors in a short period of time so that doctors can make the most accurate judgment.
STEP 1 Name the main symptom
Fever? Cough? A stomachache? Knee pain? Dizziness? Chest tightness?
When you are ill, you often feel unwell and uncomfortable everywhere. But remember to tell the doctor first about the most important and urgent problem you want to solve.
For example, if you suddenly have chest pain and shortness of breath, you should first tell the doctor about the situation. At this time, long-term poor sleep quality, dyspepsia and other conditions can be put behind, not the top priority.
Step 2: Say when the disease occurred
Don’t say [not feeling well for a long time].
Make sure how long you feel uncomfortable, whether it is hours, days, weeks or months.
The onset process of some diseases has stages, and the treatment methods are different in each stage.
For example, typhoid fever is divided into 4 stages. If there is an accurate time to judge the stages, it will be helpful for doctors to plan the next treatment plan.
Some diseases have a clear [time limit]. Special treatment is required within a specific few hours, but beyond this limit, it will not work.
For example, cerebral infarction can be treated with thrombolysis within four and a half hours, and beyond this time, only conservative drug treatment can be carried out.
Accurate onset time is particularly important to help doctors make appropriate treatment decisions quickly.
3. Say that you had what before the disease occurred.
Did you catch cold before coughing?
Is there any emotional excitement before my heart is stuffy?
Did you eat leftovers before your stomachache?
Do you drink heavily before headache?
Did you touch what before your whole body itched?
Diseases often have inducing factors. These seemingly common things are very helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
4. Inform the past medical history and medication
Are there any common chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, gout, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, etc. How is the daily control and medication?
All these will help doctors to judge the disease condition. It can also enable doctors to formulate reasonable and targeted treatment plans.
In addition, remember to inform yourself of your drug allergy history to avoid the risk of using the wrong drug.
Step 5 Don’t diagnose yourself
I once met a patient who always coughed and expectorated. When I got to the hospital, I said directly:
Doctor, I have caught a cold and coughed.
But the doctor inquired about the medical history carefully, only to know that he would get sick every winter, lasting for more than one month each time, with mixed symptoms. This is the typical symptom of chronic bronchitis.
If it is not well controlled and treated as a cold, it may develop to emphysema and pulmonary heart disease.
Therefore, it is good to explain the symptoms and diagnosis clearly and hand them over to a professional doctor.
STEP 6 Prepare the inspection report
Before seeing a doctor, especially before reexamination or regular examination, remember to bring the previous medical records, test results, relevant examination reports or original documents, such as discharge report, cardiac color Doppler ultrasound, CT film, magnetic resonance film, etc., for doctors to consult.
I hope the above suggestions can provide some references for you to see a doctor.