By Carol A. Cates, MSN, MBA, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Odessa Regional Medical Center
Several years ago, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) put out a series of public service announcements on TV that really spoke to me.
The announcements started with a person making a purchase. One was a car; the other was a cell phone. In each of those scenarios, the person asked tons of questions. The announcement then “flashed forward” to that same person in their Primary Health Care Provider’s (PCP) office, and the PCP says, “Do you have any questions for me?” And the person silently shakes their head no or says “Nope.”
The message of the announcement was you need to ask questions about your health in the same way you ask questions about the products you purchase. You need to make sure you ask questions when you don’t know the answers and keep asking until you understand the answers.
These announcements spoke to me because I cannot tell you how many times I have seen that in both my personal and professional life. I’ve gotten to the point with several members of my family that I either go with them to their appointments, or I ask to be teleconferenced in because I ask them to talk to their PCP about a specific issue they are having, and then when I ask them what the PCP said, I get “Oh I forgot.”
As a nurse, I have gotten more times than I can count from patients, “I meant to ask and forgot, can you find out,” or I have prompted when rounding with health care providers because I can tell from the conversation that the concern they expressed earlier is getting forgotten.
I think the reasons are several. First, people genuinely forget to ask. There is a great deal in a PCP visit that can come up, and their questions just get forgotten. Second, I think it’s the information overload that can happen in a visit to a PCP’s office. Sometimes it takes time to just process and know what to ask. Third, I think people are embarrassed to ask. They don’t want to sound “dumb” or it’s a topic that is hard to discuss with anyone. Lastly, I think people know their PCP is busy and don’t want to “bother them.”
All those reasons are good reasons, but with something as important as health, I promise your health care provider wants to make sure you have all the answers you need to take good care of yourself.
Whenever you visit your PCP or any other health care provider, I highly recommend discussing the questions you want and need to ask with someone else who can go with you to the appointment, or that you write your questions down. I do the second one for myself, I have a notepad I keep between appointments where I write down questions as I think of them. That way, I don’t forget when I go visit my PCP.
The other I think it’s important to know is you are NOT going to shock your PCP with a question you might feel is embarrassing, and no question about health is dumb. I promise, I have seen some things in the ED that people have tried to do on their own to treat a problem that have caused far more embarrassment and damage to their systems than would have ever happened if they had just brought it up with their PCP.
If you are feeling overloaded, make another appointment to ask questions, understanding is crucial when it comes your health. And, answering your questions is never a bother, people who understand take better care of themselves, which means less time in the future dealing with more complex problems. That benefits you and your busy PCP.
If you are wondering what questions you should ask, here are some suggestions: 1) Do I still need all my medications? 2) Do I need to be concerned with this change in my family health history? 3) Are my bowel movements normal? 4) Am I getting enough sleep? 5) How is my blood pressure? 6) Is this (anything you are worried about) normal? 7) Would you recommend any additional annual screenings? 8) How is my weight? 9) What do I need to do between now and my next visit? 10) Is there anything you think I might have missed?
The National Institute of Health’s National Institute on Aging has a great video on preparing for a visit to your PCP as well as additional tips on questions to ask on their website at tinyurl.com/dy2jh5jn.
This year, as we discussed last week make it a priority to develop a relationship with a Primary Health Care Provider, and as you develop that relationship, make sure you ask questions! Your health will benefit.
