Guide Overview

Items in Healthier at Home® can help. One of these is the “Tell & Ask the  Doctor/Provider Checklists” on pages 13 and 14.

The “Key Questions Checklist” on page 36 in Chapter 5 – “Medical Decisions” can help, too. Refer to these before you call or visit your doctor or health care provider to help you control the conversation. These items can also help prepare you to give your doctor the information needed for him or her to decide what course of action should be taken. According to a study by the American Society of Internal Medicine, 70% of correct diagnoses depends solely on what you tell your doctor.

According to research at the University of Dayton in Ohio, patients who write down questions before an office visit with a doctor increase the accuracy and detail of the information they give to and receive from their physicians.

The more information the doctor or health care provider has from the patient, the more accurate his or her diagnosis will be. It was also found that those who wrote down their questions before a visit left the doctor’s office feeling less anxious about their medical conditions and more at ease with their physicians.

Patients often are intimidated by their doctors or afraid to ask questions. More often than not, however, a physician who sees a patient with written questions is more likely to take the patient’s concern and interest as a positive sign that the patient is actively involved in the treatment decision and its execution.