{"id":63975,"date":"2022-09-14T07:31:02","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T12:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=63975"},"modified":"2024-04-06T06:17:44","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T06:17:44","slug":"how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"How to stress less about going to the doctor"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

\"\"If you find yourself anxious about going to the doctor\u2019s office, you\u2019re not alone. A\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0from the National Cancer Institute found that some patients avoid going to the doctor because of concerns about communication with their physician.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you are one of these people, behind-the-scenes knowledge may help alleviate your concerns and anxiety. Here are some tips to help navigate a visit, courtesy of physicians who see patients nearly every day.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A doctor\u2019s visit may unleash stressors that feel out of your control. For example, the routine of stepping on the scale at the beginning of every appointment triggers anxiety for many people. Doctors say patients can ask not to be weighed, or to hold off on the measurement. It\u2019s okay to say, \u201cI\u2019d like to not be weighed prior to seeing my physician, and I\u2019d like to be able to discuss with them if knowing my weight is necessary today,\u201d said Tracy Richmond, an adolescent medicine physician and director of the Eating Disorder Program at Boston Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Once the physician enters the exam room, it can sometimes feel as though you and the doctor have different agendas. Perhaps you\u2019ve been mulling over that cough that won\u2019t go away, but the doctor is asking a million questions about a mole on your arm. What can you do? Richmond said it\u2019s helpful to explain your goals and priorities upfront. She said patients can say, \u201cHere are the things that are top on my priority list [for this appointment]. \u2026 Are there things that you think should be on my priority list?\u201d That allows you and the doctor to have a list of items that you know will be covered.<\/div>\n
\n

Maja Artandi, a professor of primary care and population health at Stanford University School of Medicine, suggested going even further, by bringing in a brief, organized list of top concerns you\u2019d like to cover in the visit. \u201cAs a primary care doctor, l really want to understand what the most important thing is for the patient before I start telling them about what I think is important. I think if the patient has a list and is prepared for the visit, that\u2019s a good thing,\u201d Artandi said. \u201cI would say if you want to bring a list, focus on your top three concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

When making the list, it\u2019s possible you may need a second or third appointment to cover everything in depth, especially if there are several major topics to get to. \u201cWe only have a limited amount of time, and we might not be able to address everything on the list,\u201d Artandi said. \u201cIf someone really wants to address everything \u2026 they need to be prepared to make another appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She went to one doctor, then another and another<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Writing or stating your priorities upfront can also help avoid the disappointment of bringing up a concern in the last few minutes of a visit, only to feel as though the physician does not have time to fully address the issue. \u201cThe worst part for a clinician is having the most important issue brought up at the end \u2026 then they\u2019re like, \u2018Oh no, how am I going to address this adequately when I have other patients waiting?\u2019 [Stating concerns] upfront and explicit makes it so much easier,\u201d Richmond said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"You can also help increase the effectiveness of the visit by bringing in data. Have high blood pressure? Bring in a log of your home blood pressure readings, if you have done them. Taking multiple medications? Consider bringing in the bottles to review with your doctor. If that\u2019s too much of a hassle, be sure to write down the names and the doses you take to ensure they\u2019re up to date in your medical record.<\/div>\n
\n

Physicians especially want to know if you feel you might be having a harder time maintaining your health, so don\u2019t sugarcoat things in the discussion. \u201cIt\u2019s the patient\u2019s health, not a report card,\u201d Artandi said. \u201cIt\u2019s all part of the patient\u2019s health journey. We are there to help them, especially if they don\u2019t do so well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Of course, if you don\u2019t feel like you\u2019re being heard or aren\u2019t sure you agree with what the doctor proposes, you can ask your doctor for other options or to see if their colleagues might have other thoughts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

Tammy Chang, an associate professor in family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, said it\u2019s okay for patients to ask doctors to seek the opinion of colleagues. \u201cIt\u2019s the art of medicine,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s very rarely just one, single path forward,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd so I think empowering patients means giving patients options and hearing options from different points of view. Doctors don\u2019t work in isolation anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

And you can seek a second opinion. While patients may worry second opinions will upset their doctor, a good physician should be comfortable with the idea. If not, it may be time to consider finding someone new.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI always tell my patients that they are the main person \u2014 it\u2019s their health that we are concerned about. So if they need to ask questions, get a second opinion, or need to clarify something \u2014 that should be welcomed,\u201d Artandi said. \u201cIf the doctor sees this as offensive, then that is definitely a red flag. We all work together as medical professionals to help our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In a change, patients can now read the clinical notes written by their physicians<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Finally, some patients find that it can be hard to follow everything the doctor is saying \u2014 either because there\u2019s just too much information being provided or too much medical jargon. Chang suggested taking notes during the visit \u2014 or even bringing a friend or relative to take notes for you. And you can always ask your doctor to explain in simpler terms if you don\u2019t understand what they\u2019re saying.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cIt can be really complicated. And so we should write things down and then if there\u2019s any part that doesn\u2019t make sense either in the visit or after, the patient should never feel uncomfortable calling for clarification,\u201d Chang said. \u201cAs a doctor, I really appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Under\u00a0new federal rules,<\/a>\u00a0patients also have the right to view all doctor\u2019s notes about their visits, often through online patient portals, so you can read and review what was discussed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Chang\u2019s takeaway is that navigating appointments can feel stressful, but going into a visit with information and expectations of what you want can help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s good for patients to understand that it is really a collaboration,\u201d Artandi said. \u201cWe as medical providers are really there to help our patients to have the best health they can have, but it\u2019s a partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Original Post The Washington Post<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo- Photo by RF._.studio: https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/crop-doctor-with-stethoscope-preparing-for-surgery-in-hospital-3825586\/<\/p>\n

Photo by MART PRODUCTION: https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/people-woman-sitting-technology-7089387\/<\/p>\n

\n

By Netana Markovitz is a medical resident in internal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center\/Harvard Medical School in Boston.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you find yourself anxious about going to the doctor\u2019s office, you\u2019re not alone. A\u00a0study\u00a0from the National Cancer Institute found that some patients avoid going to the doctor because of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":63978,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false},"categories":[139],"tags":[136,137,138,141,143,145,155,120,147,175],"class_list":["post-63975","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-life-blog","tag-ais","tag-american-institute-of-stress","tag-anxiety","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-relaxation","tag-research","tag-stress","tag-stress-management","tag-stress-reduction","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to stress less about going to the doctor - The American Institute of Stress<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to stress less about going to the doctor - The American Institute of Stress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you find yourself anxious about going to the doctor\u2019s office, you\u2019re not alone. A\u00a0study\u00a0from the National Cancer Institute found that some patients avoid going to the doctor because of […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The American Institute of Stress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-06T06:17:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Copy-of-AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-3.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"379\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/\",\"name\":\"How to stress less about going to the doctor - The American Institute of Stress\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Copy-of-AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-3.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-09-14T12:31:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-06T06:17:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Copy-of-AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-3.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Copy-of-AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-3.png\",\"width\":600,\"height\":379},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to stress less about going to the doctor\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/\",\"name\":\"The American Institute of Stress\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The American Institute of Stress\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":432,\"caption\":\"The American Institute of Stress\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to stress less about going to the doctor - The American Institute of Stress","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to stress less about going to the doctor - The American Institute of Stress","og_description":"If you find yourself anxious about going to the doctor\u2019s office, you\u2019re not alone. A\u00a0study\u00a0from the National Cancer Institute found that some patients avoid going to the doctor because of […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/","og_site_name":"The American Institute of Stress","article_modified_time":"2024-04-06T06:17:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":379,"url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Copy-of-AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-3.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/","name":"How to stress less about going to the doctor - The American Institute of Stress","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Copy-of-AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-3.png","datePublished":"2022-09-14T12:31:02+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-06T06:17:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Copy-of-AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-3.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Copy-of-AIS-Blog-Cover-Templates-3.png","width":600,"height":379},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-to-stress-less-about-going-to-the-doctor\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to stress less about going to the doctor"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/","name":"The American Institute of Stress","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#organization","name":"The American Institute of Stress","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/AIS-logo-C.svg","width":1440,"height":432,"caption":"The American Institute of Stress"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/63975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}