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Seeing your doctor with a new, previously undiagnosed problem can be scary. Patients often have difficulty explaining their symptoms to a doctor in an effective manner, and the therapist needs to collect all the necessary information from the patient without leaving out anything important. And all this should happen during a medical examination, which on average will last less than 10 minutes. You can get the most out of your visit by giving the doctor all the information they need in a simple, concise manner, just like they were taught in medical school.

Steps

    Bring your general medical questionnaire with up-to-date information to your appointment. You can make one by summarizing all the data about diseases on one page. Include dates as well as reasons for hospitalizations and surgeries. Ultimately, you may not need to turn to her, but if questions arise about your past, having one will maximize the time you spend discussing your current health problem(s). Also bring along packages of the medications you currently use that contain the name and dosage information, including herbal supplements if used.

    Describe the main reason for visiting in one or two sentences. Most doctors will begin the examination with something like this: “What brings you here?” A pre-prepared answer to this question will help in the appeal. Some common symptoms include: pain, weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, chills, confusion, difficulty breathing, or headache.

    Remember when symptoms appear and how long they last. Including their start, stop and frequency. (“I have terrible pain between periods and it lasts about three days.”) Be prepared to give dates and times if possible. (“The first time I remember this feeling appeared was on the 15th. It usually gets worse late in the evening, but sometimes I feel it in the morning too.”)

    Explain what increases or decreases the pain. Notice any movement that aggravates the pain (“My finger doesn’t hurt unless I bend it toward my palm, then I feel sharp pain.") or reduces it (“I feel like the pain goes away when I lie on my side”). Explain clearly if any foods, drinks, body positions, activities, or medications worsen or improve symptoms. (“The chills went away when I took Tylenol, but came back 2 hours later.”)

    Use adjectives for more full description your symptoms. Not all pain is the same. It can be sharp, aching, directly on the surface of the body, deep inside, and so on. Example: “When I feel dizzy, it’s not just the feeling that I’m going to faint; it's more like the world is constantly spinning to the left! Without being too poetic, try to explain what makes this sensation different from other types of pain, that you already felt earlier.

    Please indicate the location of your symptoms. Including details if the pain moves from place. (“At first the pain was right around my belly button, but now it seems to have moved down here to my right hip.”)

    Assess the severity of your symptoms. Using a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 would mean you feel almost nothing and 10 would be the worst feeling you can imagine. Be honest, don't understate or exaggerate. Pain of "ten out of ten" magnitude (in the eyes of medical professionals) would render a person unable to speak or perform other activities such as eating or reading. (“I was sitting having lunch, and suddenly I felt such headache, worse than I have ever experienced in my life, out of nowhere. It was so strong that I almost lost consciousness. Definitely 9 or 10."

    Describe the situation and your condition at the time the symptoms appeared. Where were you? What did you do? What was unusual about the environment and activities, and were they different from your usual? What were you doing just before your symptoms started and earlier that day?

    List other things that happen at the same time as symptoms appear.(“During the three weeks that I was experiencing these attacks, my wife also noticed that I looked very pale, my stools were dark in color, and I had lost 10 pounds even though I was eating exactly the same.”)

    • Don't be afraid to tell your doctor about a symptom, no matter how embarrassing it may seem. The faster you tell, the faster you will be cured.
    • Consider bringing a friend or family member with you to the exam if you are unsure if you can explain a physical problem correctly, or if you are forgetful or easily lost.
    • Bring along written prompts with what you wanted to ask. Many people, when faced with a doctor, forget everything! A pen will also be useful to write down what the doctor says. Many patients often remember things they wanted to ask the doctor about after the visit is completed, and then are embarrassed to call back and ask about them again.
    • Not wait until the end of the inspection to say: “... and by the way, I have another problem.” This is terribly inconvenient for the doctor, since what you think may seem like a small thing can completely change his treatment plan. Tell him about all your symptoms early and before he starts diagnosing you.
    • Make a list of questions you have for your doctor. Most of the time, due to time constraints, you will forget to ask what you were supposed to, so it is important to have a list.
    • Honesty is the key. Physicians are subject to an obligation of confidentiality. If your continued health is at risk, you can also tell everything down to the smallest detail.
    • Match the image. If you're complaining about the worst pain of your life, you can't sit around drinking coffee, flipping through a magazine, and answering the phone. If you are complaining of pain in your toe, do not allow the doctor to walk into the office and see you lying on the couch in a medical gown.
    • Think about the symptoms and their nature before you go to the doctor to save both your time and his, as well as expressing them more diagnostically for him.
    • Know your health status. This is very annoying for both the patient and the doctor to meet face to face and then start piecing together the story.
    • There may be no need to actively follow these steps if the clinician already seems to be asking questions in a logical sequence and getting to the point. A well-trained professional should actually be able to figure out what's going on without even thinking about using the steps.

    Warnings

    • Start your conversation with your doctor with your symptoms, not with what you think your diagnosis is (unless you are absolutely sure). A response like “I think I have multiple sclerosis" may seem like a big time-saver for you, but in practice will tend to strain the relationship with most doctors and derail the conversation. Instead, start the conversation with a phrase like: “My arms and legs are really getting weak in Lately, and now I can hardly walk.”
    • If you feel like you are not getting satisfactory answers during your conversation with your doctor, it may be more effective to continue expressing concern and worry, and much less helpful to become upset or angry. You don't want to be flagged as a "problem patient" or potentially facing litigation (something that could carry over to your future doctor visits, or even leak to the doctor's colleagues). In such cases, it may be better to try another time or seek a second opinion.
    • This scheme is most useful when dealing with someone who has never seen you before, and especially when the disease occurs for the first time. It won't do much if you're discussing a chronic illness with your own GP.
by Notes of the Wild Mistress

It’s clear that no one likes going to the doctor! And who would like sitting outside the office, endless queues, and fears that what if the doctor says something completely unpleasant?! I want to be and feel healthy, but, unfortunately, this does not always work out, and a visit to the doctor becomes a necessity. So that he does not become a nuisance, but brings real benefit, you need to know some rules for visiting a doctor, then you will save energy and nerves and get real help.

Don't let your doctor make a diagnosis

When you see a doctor, you don’t need to tell him what you are sick with. You have the flu, an acute respiratory infection or an exacerbation of a stomach ulcer - the doctor will determine it himself. And your job is to tell him about how you feel and answer in detail all the questions asked. It is possible that the doctor will prescribe additional tests for you, and only then make an accurate diagnosis. You need to be patient and not try to declare an illness instead of a doctor, and, moreover, prescribe treatment for yourself.

There is no need to be shy in the doctor's office.

One extreme is when the patient believes that he himself knows absolutely everything about his disease, tells in detail what is needed and in even greater detail what he is not asked about, and teaches the doctor how to treat it. The other extreme is excessive shyness, when a person who comes to the doctor for help does not answer the truth about his health and the symptoms that need to be known to establish an accurate diagnosis. Women are especially embarrassed if the gynecologist is a man.

Firstly, if you have already asked for help, then no matter how tactless the doctor’s questions may seem to you, he is not asking them to satisfy his own curiosity. Secondly, if you are shy about a male doctor, then make an appointment with a woman. But, most importantly, there are no men and women behind the door with the sign “doctor” - there is only a specialist there who can help you. And you need to leave all your shyness at the door. The doctor’s questions must be answered honestly and in detail, and the doctor will not perform an examination in a gynecological chair unless necessary. If so, then put aside your embarrassment and help the doctor establish an accurate diagnosis - this is, first of all, in your own interests!

Save the time of both the doctor and your own

It happens that in the doctor’s office, pouring out a bunch of details, the patient forgets that he is at an appointment, and that the doctor is not the only one who needs help. You should not saturate your story about the symptoms in the smallest details and details. It is important to say the main thing and clearly answer the questions posed.

If you are lost in the doctor's office, then prepare for the visit in advance - write down everything you think needs to be said. About the symptoms of the disease, about your feelings. Remember what medications you took, as well as chronic diseases in your blood relatives. This will help you, without taking up the doctor's time, to clearly and clearly state everything that worries you, without taking up unnecessary time from anyone.

Who is guilty?

It is clear that the shortcomings of medical care irritate, cause indignation and justifiable indignation. Only, the doctor you turned to for help has nothing to do with it. And starting your visit with claims and accusations is simply unreasonable. If every patient expresses their grievances directly at the reception, this will not add Have a good mood neither the doctor nor the patient.

Moreover, the existing problems will not be solved either, but it is very easy and simple to irritate the doctor and bring him to the point where he will be rude to you, because the doctor is the same person as you. Therefore, focus on your health problems, and if you want to speak out about the service, go to the managers of the medical institution.

Do not delay contacting doctors!

They say on all sides: the sooner you consult a doctor if you feel unwell, the greater the chances of a complete and speedy cure. And, it seems, everyone understands this, but when they get sick, they don’t rush to the doctors in the hope that “it will go away on its own”! It’s good if it passes, but what if it doesn’t? And precious time will be lost...

By stubbornly avoiding doctors, you can not only develop chronic diseases, but also miss the chance when it would be possible to stop and cure serious illnesses that pose a serious risk to life. Therefore, do not diagnose yourself and do not choose a course of treatment on your own or using the Internet - at the first symptoms, go to the doctor!

Hospital is not scary!

If for some reason or for full research The doctor suggests you go to the hospital, don’t refuse in horror! There is nothing wrong with this, but some studies or courses of treatment can only be successfully carried out in a hospital. Yes, there is little pleasant here, but for the sake of patience own health It’s also not only possible, but also necessary. And what suddenly arose a large number of free time will allow you to read and finally get a good night's sleep!

Are you your own doctor?

They say that there are two areas in which everyone feels like a specialist - pedagogy and medicine. And what’s strange is that when choosing treatment or medications, we tend to trust friends, acquaintances, and even accidentally heard information in line or in transport. It’s good if you don’t immediately buy and take some “miraculous” remedy that a friend of someone’s relative’s friend was cured of “exactly the same disease” as yours, but first consult a doctor.

Many folk recipes with medicinal herbs also promises relief and help in the treatment of a variety of diseases. But it is no coincidence that every time before using one or another folk recipe or medicinal plant, it is suggested to consult a doctor.

Each person is individual, and his reactions to certain drugs are also individual. And, each doctor, when prescribing this or that course of treatment, takes into account many factors: from the stage of the disease and the general condition of the patient to possible allergic reactions of the body. Therefore, do not self-medicate and do not listen to all sorts of “useful” advice that omniscient well-wishers love to give out. Treatment is serious, and it needs to be treated correctly!

Alas, miracles do not happen!

If you have been putting off visiting a doctor for a long time, self-medicating, or even simply not paying attention to ailments and symptoms of the disease, then it is not surprising that the treatment finally prescribed by the doctor is progressing slowly. Miracle pills have not yet been invented, and neglected sores are always difficult to cure, so you should be patient and strictly follow all medical prescriptions.

And you should not be tempted by the numerous offers of all kinds of charlatans who promise to heal any disease in one single visit and shell out a round sum. Alas, there are no miracles in the world! And turning to all kinds of healers and psychics only delays your contacting doctors, which can be simply criminal in relation to your health. And treatment may be late...

Remember, the most valuable thing we have is our health! Take it responsibly, don’t waste it, take care of yourself and get proper treatment!

An appointment with a urologist is necessary in cases where a person has complaints from the genitourinary system. Women and men are treated by a urologist for inflammatory, traumatic and tumor diseases of the bladder, urethra, ureter, urolithiasis. In men, various pathologies of the reproductive system are added to this list. The kidneys are “divided” between two specialists - a urologist and a nephrologist (each of them can prescribe).

A doctor's examination should be carried out after the patient has followed a few simple rules. It is slightly different for men and women.

  • there is difficulty urinating
  • pain when urinating
  • unpleasant smell of urine
  • frequent urge to urinate
  • the appearance of blood or other impurities in the urine
  • decreased libido
  • if a neoplasm is found on or other organs of the urinary system
  • “weak” stream during urination in men
  • erection problems
  • pain in men during intercourse
  • changes in the tissues of the penis (swelling, redness, pathological formations, change in shape).

What to do before the inspection

Before visiting a urologist, you must follow these rules:

  1. two days before the examination, men need to abstain from sexual intercourse
  2. In the morning before visiting the doctor, you need to put a glycerin suppository, Microlax or Norgalax microenema in the rectum. You can limit yourself to a regular enema to clean the rectum
  3. change underwear
  4. carry out hygiene of the external genitalia.

What to expect at your doctor's appointment


Here we will tell you how an appointment with a urologist goes. It differs in some aspects between women and men. First, here are some general points:

  1. First, the doctor talks with the patient. He asks how the person is feeling, what problems are bothering him. To get a more complete picture of the disease, the doctor asks leading questions and finds out how symptoms change depending on the situation. The urologist must also familiarize himself with the patient’s life history, that is, find out what and when the person was sick with. It is especially important for him to ask about the presence of genitourinary diseases in a person’s life.
  2. Examination on the couch. The doctor will ask you to strip down to your underwear and lie on your back. This way he will be able to palpate the kidneys and adjacent organs.

An appointment with a urologist for men also includes

  1. Inspection and palpation of the external genitalia: penis, scrotum. This is not painful at all and does not lead to unpleasant sensations if the tissues of these organs are not affected by pathology.
  2. Prostate examination. It is carried out only through the rectum. To do this, the patient will need to take a knee-elbow position or squat, having first removed all clothing below the waist. The doctor will insert a gloved finger lubricated with glycerin into the patient's rectum and palpate his prostate. This is a rather unpleasant procedure, but pain occurs only if the prostate is inflamed.

If a woman needs an examination by a urologist, it is carried out in the same way as an examination by a gynecologist - on a special chair. To perform it, the lady will need to undress from the waist down.

What can a urologist do during an appointment?

Let's tell you what the urologist does at the appointment:

  • takes a smear from the urethra (the woman needs to lie down on a gynecological chair for this)
  • massages the prostate
  • takes the secretion (“juice”) of the prostate for examination
  • corrects paraphimosis
  • catheterizes the bladder
  • bougienates the urethra, that is, passes a metal probe through the urethra under local anesthesia
  • removes tumors with an electrocoagulator small sizes on the external genitalia
  • produces shading of the seminal tubercle
  • removes a foreign body from the urethra
  • changes the indwelling urinary catheter
  • injects medications into the bladder through a catheter
  • performs diaphanoscopy of the scrotum
  • changes dressings and removes stitches after urological operations
  • performs suturing of small wounds on the male genitals
  • opens boils on the male genitals
  • cuts adhesions on the foreskin.

The urologist prescribes and can himself perform ultrasound of the scrotum, ultrasound of the prostate, cystoscopy and other instrumental methods. If during the examination a kidney pathology was discovered, and a narrow specialist, a nephrologist, works in the city where you live (he deals only with kidney diseases), the urologist gives him a referral.

Who can replace a urologist


An appointment with a nephrologist differs from a urological examination in that this doctor does not examine and palpate the external genitalia. But just like the urologist, he will be interested in the diseases you suffered, what you treated them with and where you treated them. This narrow specialist will draw Special attention for diseases of the joints, heart, liver, whether you have undergone.

A nephrologist prescribes and interprets the results of studies such as:

  • Ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder
  • angiography of the renal vessels
  • radioisotope scan of this organ
  • blood tests: rheumatic tests, levels of urea, creatinine, uric acid, Rehberg test
  • urine tests: general, according to Nechiporenko, according to Zimnitsky, urine culture for microflora
  • data from histological examination of renal tissue biopsy.

Includes prevention and treatment of various common ailments internal organs. The specialist not only identifies all kinds of internal illnesses, but also offers a plan for their treatment and then refers the patient to highly specialized doctors who specialize in these pathologies.

A paid therapist is ready to accept every patient who needs help and advice. In this case, anyone can visit the doctor, regardless of their registration address, availability medical policy and other factors.

We can say that the specialist under discussion is the first and main doctor to whom the patient should go if any health problems arise. After detailed inspection And visitor survey the doctor will be able to determine what additional examinations and tests to refer him for, as well as which doctor to contact for further diagnosis and treatment. The patient will be instantly oriented in his further actions

Consultation with a therapist is important not only at the very first, but also at all subsequent stages of therapy. The specialist under discussion will be able to carry out comprehensive monitoring of the treatment process and the patient’s condition. Any violations and deterioration of the condition will be noticed in time.

Appointment with a therapist

The therapist's appointment begins with a conversation between the doctor and the patient. First, the specialist must collect all the information he is interested in. To do this, he asks his visitor many questions: what worries him, what symptoms were noticed, what diseases he had previously suffered from, etc. The more detailed and accurate the patient answers, the easier it will be to diagnose preliminary diagnosis.

We can say that a therapist's office is the starting point to which a person turns to be directed in the right direction to receive qualified help. It always contains all the tools necessary for a quality inspection.

It is worth noting that already from the first conversation the patient will be able to understand how competent and experienced the specialist is receiving him. Using standard questions, our clinic staff are able to collect all the necessary information about the characteristics of the visitor’s body, find out the main symptoms of the problem and make a preliminary diagnosis, which will later need to be confirmed with the help of additional examinations, tests and consultations with more specialized specialists.

The therapist may also prescribe the necessary medications for the visitor.

Symptoms

A patient should make an appointment with a general practitioner if they experience the following symptoms:

  • Temperature rise of more than 37 degrees;
  • Pain and discomfort in any area of ​​the body;
  • Headaches for a long time;
  • Cough, runny nose, sore throat;
  • Weakness, Bad mood, lack of appetite;
  • Feeling tired already from early morning.

It is very important not to try to diagnose yourself and not to start treatment with help. folk remedies. This should only be trusted by experienced professional specialists. Otherwise, you can cause serious irreparable harm to your health.

I may say something banal, but EVERYTHING. Yes, at a doctor’s appointment you need to say everything, even if it does not directly relate to the disease with which you came to the doctor. He is a specialist, and a person has such a multifaceted and complex system that a rash on the leg, invisible at first glance, can help in establishing the correct diagnosis, even though you came with high temperature. And to say that you were visited by an ambulance or you were at an appointment with another doctor is necessary in mandatory, it means that you have already been treated for something, something did not work out and you will not run in circles with the same medications or treatment.

Everyone knows that after calling an ambulance to your home, a so-called active visit is sent to the clinic at your place of residence, that is, the local physician must come after the ambulance and examine the patient. If there is a lot of work, then at least call the patient and find out how he is doing and if anything is bothering him (if he is worried, then you will have to go to his house). So, some citizens, having heard from the ambulance that we will transfer the asset to the clinic, wait for the local police officer at home tomorrow, sit and wait for a doctor from the clinic, instead of duplicating the call and calling the doctor themselves at home, if there is such a need.

In the interaction of various departments, all kinds of things happen: somewhere they will let you through, somewhere they will not inspect, the ambulance generally transfers assets in a list and the receiving party at the registry may not hear something and may not ask again. And the patients are waiting.

Or, at the other extreme, the ambulance did not transfer the asset, the patient did well and called the doctor to the house, since he did not feel better. A local police officer comes to such a patient, interviews him, inquires about his health, but the patient, believing that the doctor knows about the ambulance coming to him yesterday, does not say anything about it. Instead of telling the new person that you called last night ambulance, they came, gave me an injection or gave me pills, but the treatment didn’t help and it got worse, so I called a therapist to my house. Is it that difficult?

They remain silent like partisans, and the doctor prescribes treatment taking into account the current condition, not knowing that the patient had already received therapy before his arrival. As a result, it may develop allergic reaction from such a combination of drugs, up to anaphylactic shock, and there is no need to talk about the fact that the disease can be diagnosed incorrectly (you can’t do many tests at home).

There is now an example from real practice, when a young patient, having eaten mushrooms the day before, gets severe poisoning at night. She calls an ambulance, they come and want to take her to the hospital, but she refuses and writes a refusal. She is given a rinse, which makes her feel better - the emergency doctors report that they will leave the asset to the local therapist and leave. This asset does not reach the doctor at the clinic, and the patient calls the doctor at home herself. He comes, sees the current condition of the patient, as a result of which he makes a diagnosis of ARVI (absolutely justified, taking into account the current picture of the disease and symptoms), but does not receive valuable information about the previous use of mushrooms and the arrival of the ambulance (as it turns out later the patient thought that the ambulance had conveyed all the necessary clinic information).

On the same day, the patient is picked up by a second ambulance, diagnosed with poisoning, she is taken to an infectious diseases hospital, where she receives the necessary treatment, but her body cannot cope and she is transferred to intensive care, where after a long period of treatment and subsequent recovery, she recovers and returns to normal. He is discharged and begins to make claims to everyone along the chain: emergency doctors, local doctors, and even the infectious diseases hospital. The case comes to the investigators, who bring all the testimony together and refuse to initiate a case of negligence, which is absolutely fair, since she was diagnosed correctly at each stage, all tests were prescribed (even the district police officer ordered her to take the required minimum tests, the question is that they were not fulfilled). The patient’s negligence towards his health and incomprehensible indifference are immediately visible, since if a person clings to life, he once again will repeat his problems and tell you as much as possible, and will not then undergo treatment for weeks because of triviality or receive disability, presenting unreasonable claims to everyone around him.

You need to be more attentive to your health and not remain silent when visiting a doctor, so as not to experience such excesses as the example described above.