Doctors’ philosophies toward patient care have changed dramatically over the years. Instead of “telling” patients what to do, doctors now want patients to take a more active role in maintaining their health. The same holds true if visiting a nurse practitioner, physician assistant or certified nurse-midwife.

“We want to build partnerships with our patients and work toward a common goal,” says Allison Stolz, MD, a family medicine doctor with Park Nicollet Clinic—Minnetonka. “It helps when patients know how to make the most of their doctor visits.” To accomplish this, she offers the following tips.

Schedule the ‘right’ appointments
“Unless it’s an annual physical, most appointments are very brief,” Dr. Stolz says. “For a specific complaint, we normally set aside 15 minutes — and that includes time for paperwork. We run into trouble when patients come in with several concerns, but haven’t told the scheduler. If patients think they may need more than 15 minutes, we want them to tell us up front. The more we know ahead of time, the better prepared we can be.”

Annual physicals usually are scheduled for a half hour. “Prevention is a top priority at annual physicals, so we like to make sure we have enough time for discussion. If you have another concern you want to address, mention that when scheduling your physical.”

Show us the medications
Primary care doctors encourage patients to bring in a list of medications to annual exams, especially if they are working with several doctors. “I actually prefer patients to bag up all their medications and bring them in,” Dr. Stolz says. “That way, I can see the exact dosage and determine if they’re taking them as prescribed.”

She also recommends patients bring in any over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements. “Patients may tell me they’re taking Advil® Cold, but three different types of Advil Cold exist — and some can raise blood pressure. I also may want to read labels for certain ingredients.”

Jot down your questions
In the days or weeks leading up to an appointment, people may think of questions for their doctor. “I encourage patients to keep a running list and prioritize them,” Dr. Stolz says. “It’s easy to draw a blank when in the office, especially if you’re coping with a difficult illness.”

Confirm your doctor’s instructions
“When I talk with patients, I try to keep everything in laypeople’s terms. But, if they don’t understand me, I want them to feel comfortable asking questions,” Dr. Stolz says. She also encourages people to take notes and to call their doctor or nurse if they have ongoing questions or concerns.

Be completely honest with your doctor
“Patients sometimes are hesitant to discuss smoking, sexual history or drug and alcohol abuse,” Dr. Stolz continues. “But information from a patient visit is kept confidential. We never release it anyone unless we first obtain a patient’s consent.”

Dr. Stolz says some people may simply want to keep their matters private. “But, it’s very important for patients to be honest with us, because some medications can interact with alcohol, and smoking is a risk factor for many diseases.”

Track your health history
People today switch doctors more frequently than they did a generation ago. Today, it is helpful for people to know and track their own health history. “I encourage them to keep a brief list of any procedures they’ve had or medications they’ve tried,” Dr. Stolz says. “I also encourage them to keep a record of their family history. If a parent had cancer, it’s helpful to know which kind. When there is a family history of cancer, we may begin screenings earlier or schedule them more frequently.”

Learn all you can about your conditions
The Internet can be a great resource for people to learn about certain conditions and their treatments. “Unfortunately, not everything on the Web is accurate. I encourage people to ask their doctors to recommend specific sites or for written literature,” Dr. Stolz says. For more help finding credible information, visit our Research starting points.

For help finding a Park Nicollet doctor, call Health Directions at 952-993-5500 or visit parknicollet.com.