How to make the most of your doctor visits

(Aging Untold) — The average doctor’s visit lasts less than 20 minutes, and patients often leave with more questions than answers.

Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, said bridging the communication gap between the patient and the doctor in such a short time frame is hard.

“You just have to get your point across, and you have to come with intentional questions and know how you’re addressing the physician,” Rogers said.

Understanding how physicians think

Rogers said most physicians are taught to look at symptoms and make a diagnosis. They listen for objective information like specific symptoms and when they started.

“You try to go very quickly on a very limited time,” Rogers said.

She said patients should tell their doctor specifically what they’re feeling, why it’s a change, how it’s affecting them and that it’s not their norm.

Challenges for older patients

Sam Cradduck, a gerontologist, said the aging community faces additional challenges during doctor visits, including hearing loss and slower processing speeds.

“Not that there’s a cognitive impairment, but we process things slower as we age,” Cradduck said.

She said many older patients experience white-coat syndrome and don’t feel like they’re talking with a peer.

“Asking questions and insisting on good care is not in the norm,” Cradduck said.

Preparation strategies

Amy O’Rourke, an aging expert, recommended bringing someone to appointments and preparing a detailed writeup of medical history and issues to be addressed.

She said patients should hand the write-up to the nurse before the doctor enters so the physician can review it.

Loved ones who cannot go to doctor’s appointments in person can participate by phone, Cradduck said.

She said she attended her mother’s appointments remotely from California while her mother was in Kentucky.

“She would call, put it on speakerphone, and the doctor knew and would talk to her and talk to me,” Cradduck said.

Katherine Ambrose, an aging-well coach, said using a speakerphone can result in more intentional care and more time with the doctor.

She also recommended getting paperwork signed early to have authority to speak to the doctor’s office, especially if parents are experiencing brain changes.