How to Communicate With an MD

MD stands for Doctor of Medicine, and this title is most likely applied to your current physician. When you have a medical condition, or when you think you might have an issue that needs to be discussed with your doctor, you may feel a disconnect when trying to communicate your concerns and symptoms. Doctors are very busy professionals, and to make sure the communication between yourself and your doctor is as effective as possible, you should always come to your appointments prepared.

Instructions

• 1

  Write down all of the medications you are currently taking. Providing a written list to your doctor can ensure that there is no errors when communicating this information and no dangerous combination of prescribed medications.

• 2

  Make a list of all the symptoms you are currently experiencing weeks before your appointment, if possible. Putting them down on paper will help you determine the best way to describe them to your doctor.

• 3

  Prioritize your list of symptoms. Remove any symptoms that you are no longer experiencing or that have been explained by something else. Organize the list of symptoms in order from most to least severe.

• 4

  Figure out what questions you want to ask your physician. Write these down, as well. Try to avoid asking basic questions that a nurse would know or that you can find out on your own. The questions for your doctor should be specific to your situation, symptoms and medical history.

• 5

  Give each symptom on your list a number from one to 10, with one being the least severe and 10 being most.

• 6

  List your symptoms to your doctor during the time of your visit. Do not embellish on your symptoms, other than giving the number you assigned. If you're upset, for example, you're more likely to keep going on and on. However, the communication will be more effective if you keep it simple.

• 7

  Listen carefully and make note of your doctor's answers. When communicating effectively with your doctor, you want to make sure that there is no repeating. Once the doctor is finished speaking and asking questions, then you can ask any additional questions you have.