Tips for Talking to Your Eugene Urgent Care Provider
Taking an active role in your health care can help you get the best care possible from your doctor or provider. One way to do this is to improve your relationship with your provider. The following are some tips to help you and your provider improve your health care together.
Talk to your doctor or provider.
Be sure to tell your urgent care or emergency room provider about any current and past health care issues or concerns. It's important to share any information you can, even if you're embarrassed. Give your doctor the following information during the exam:
- Any symptoms you are having.
- Your health history. You can create a "health journal" for yourself on paper or in a notebook, and bring it to your appointments. See "Creating a Health Journal" for more information.
- Personal information, including whether you are stressed or if your life is changing.
- Any medicines you are currently taking. Bring them with you or create a list of all your medicines. Include information about when and how often you take the medicine. You should also write down the strength of the medicine (for example, do you take 150 mg or 200 mg?).
- Any side-effects you have from your medicine(s), especially if it makes you feel sick or if you think you may be allergic to it.
- Any vitamins or supplements you take.
- Any X-rays, tests results or medical records you have can be brought with you to the appointment.
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Ask questions.
Don't be afraid to speak up. It's important for you to let your provider know if you don't understand something. If you don't ask questions, your provider will think you understand everything he or she has told you. The following are some tips on asking your provider questions during the exam:
- Ask every time you don't understand something.
- If you have questions before the appointment, just write them down and ask them during the exam. Be sure to write down the most important questions first to make sure they get answered.
- Tell your provider when you need more time to talk about something.
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Take information home with you.
Taking written or recorded information home with you can help you remember information and instructions any time you need to. Eugene Urgent Care is a good source of accurate information you can trust. The following are types of information you can take home with you:
- Notes that you have taken during the urgent care visit. It's ok for you to write down the information your provider gives you. Sometimes it helps to bring a friend or family member with you. They can help write down the answers to your questions.
- Written instructions from your provider.
- Brochures or other educational materials. If there aren't any available, ask where you can find some.
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Follow the instructions given to you by your provider.
Make sure to follow any instructions your Urgent Care Provider gave you during the visit, like taking medicine, scheduling a test or scheduling an appointment with a specialist. If you're confused or if you've forgotten some information, it's ok to contact our providers or office staff. The following are some common reasons you may need to call your provider:
- If you have any questions after the visit. Ask to leave a message with the provider or speak with a staff member.
- If you start to feel worse or have problems with your medicine.
- If you had tests and haven't got the results.
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Other Organizations
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Source
American Academy of Family Physicians