Making the Most Out of Your Doctor’s Appointments
When living with a chronic condition like Parkinson’s disease (PD), it is important to keep track of the symptoms you encounter as well as any changes in your lifestyle and mood. The information that you provide to your healthcare team serves as the basis for recommendations they may give you.
Many of your medical appointments will be short, so it is important to practice effective communication and build a strong relationship with your healthcare team. Parkinson Society British Columbia has resources available to help you make the most of your care by being prepared for every doctor’s visit. To guide your conversations with healthcare providers, or help with self-management, you can download our new Comprehensive Care Plan Checklist by clicking here.
Changes and Concerns to Reflect on When Preparing for an Appointment:
1. Note your general health and wellbeing, as well as recent stress levels and mood.
Always trust your gut when discussing your overall wellbeing with healthcare professionals. Elevated stress levels can be a significant indicator that something is wrong, or that your treatment is not working. In some cases, it can be difficult to pinpoint specific symptoms and you may simply be feeling unlike yourself. Rather than taking guesses as to what may be causing you to feel unwell, bring your concerns to a healthcare professional who can help you identify new symptoms and conditions.
Along with physical symptoms, issues to note about your mental wellbeing include changes in your sleep pattern, excessive sleepiness, vivid dreams, sadness/depression, apathy, anxiety, euphoria and loss of motivation or pleasure from activities. Also be candid about any instances in which you may have experienced hearing things that were not there or believing that certain things were happening that other people say were not.
2. Track your physical symptoms, both motor and non-motor.
When discussing your symptoms, note when new symptoms appear and when old ones are no longer present. There are four key points to cover whenever you talk to your healthcare team about any new concerns:
- Where on your body do you have the problem?
- What does it feel like? Is it constant or fluctuating?
- How long has it been going on? Has it changed over time?
- How intense, uncomfortable or inconvenient is it?
Be as specific and detailed as you can with this information, and consider using the Comprehensive Care Plan Checklist as a guide in these discussions. Covering these four points can help your healthcare team identify whether your new issues may be linked to pre-existing symptoms, your medication schedule or your lifestyle and everyday habits.
3. Track your medications, including schedules, doses, and side effects.
Every individual with Parkinson’s will have a unique set of symptoms and side effects to medication, so keeping your healthcare team informed about your medication experience is crucial. When visiting your doctor, ask about refills and bring any new medications you are taking, including new vitamins or supplements. The effectiveness of some Parkinson’s drugs can be reduced when combined with drugs for other health conditions.
Getting the Most out of your Appointment
Dr. Donald Cegala at the University of Ohio developed the P.A.C.E. framework to help patients make the most of their communication with doctors and healthcare professionals. Effective patient communication involves:
P – presenting detailed information about how you are feeling
A – asking questions if desired information is not provided
C – checking your understanding of information that is given to you
E – expressing any concerns about the recommended treatment
Patients do not typically ask many questions, despite wanting as much information as possible. Consider asking your healthcare team questions that will confirm your understanding of the information you have been given. Do not hesitate to ask for further details if needed, or to make requests such as “Could you refer me to a specialist?”
Another crucial but often missed step in communicating with healthcare professionals is to express your concerns, fears and hesitations about any particular treatment or medication. Do not assume that the treatment plan given to you is your only option. Feel free to discuss alternative treatments, therapies and medications with your doctor. Doing so can help you avoid misinformation from unscientific sources on the internet or elsewhere.
This content was published in the Fall 2018 edition of our quarterly magazine, Viewpoints. The content was accurate as of this publication date.