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KEEPING A RECORD OF YOUR DOCTOR'S ADVICE AND INSTRUCTIONS
office
visit form
Doctors often schedule no more than 10 or 15 minutes per patient. You need to be prepared to use your time with your doctor well. Review your Personal Health Journal, then fill out one of the
office visit form in Section 2 of your binder. Then, when you call to make your appointment, tell the receptionist or office manager why you need to be seen, so you'll be scheduled for the right amount of time if you have special concerns. Bring your filled-out
office visit form with you and refer to it, or hand it to your doctor. Studies have shown that when patients ask questions, doctors almost always provide answers. But if you don't ask whether it's normal to urinate three times during the night or whether you should be concerned about the dizzy spells you've been having, your doctor won't be in a position to assess your symptoms. Also, write down your doctor's advice and recommendations. Research has revealed that patients forget 30 percent of what their doctors tell them.
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visit form
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Excerpted from the first chapter of:
The Savard Health Record: A Six-Step System for Managing Your Health Care
by Marie Savard, M.D. (New York: Time Life Books, March 2000.)
© 1999-2000 Savard Systems LLC All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.
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