A List For the Doctor

Waiting for the doctor to see you? Make a list of things you’d like to discuss, and enjoy a more satisfying visit.

Next time you’re going to the doctor, prepare for your appointment with a written checklist. Patients who visit their doctors with an agenda report feeling more satisfied with their experience and have a better understanding of what their physician wants them to do.

Write down your top three or four concerns and specific questions surrounding them, suggests Noreen Clark, PhD, director of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease at the University of Michigan.

At the end of your appointment, repeat all of your doctor’s recommendations back to him or her, so you both know that you’re on the same page.