“I have a problem with doctors; no matter how nice they are, I freeze when I try to ask questions! Half the time, I forget and the other half I’m afraid the doctor will think I’m dumb. But there are some things I really need to ask. My doctor asks me if I have any questions and I go ‘Ummm … no … ummm …’ while trying to get my nerve up. By that time, I’m halfway home!” (from a book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibblesman, M.D.)

Sound familiar? Learning to communicate with one’s health care practitioner is a skill which, when mastered, results in better care for the patient and increased satisfaction for practitioner and patient alike.

Medicine is at least as much an art as a science. Some practitioners are very perceptive and can sense when a patient really wants to talk about something. Others, even though sensitive, may receive confusing signals from the patient or not know the individual well enough to interpret nonverbal behaviors. It may help to be aware that health professionals are “notoriously difficult to shock.” They are there to help, not pass judgment. Incorporating the following strategies at one’s next appointment can enhance the provider/patient relationship:

Organize in advance. If you have questions, write them down and remember to take them with you. There are many reasons you might forget what you had planned to ask once you are in the examination room: nervousness, anxiety, nudity. Often, people fear wasting the practitioner’s time, that he or she is in a hurry, that a question is silly. Also, illness can make you more vulnerable to creating a parent/child rather than adult/adult relationship with your health care provider.

Allow the practitioner flexibility. At the beginning of the appointment, inform the practitioner that you have questions and want to be certain there will be time to ask them. Find out at what point during the exam he or she prefers you present them. This will allow you to relax with the assurance there will be time for questions before you leave.

Ask for explanation when something is unclear. Everyone at times pretends to understand something they really don’t. All disciplines have their own jargon. Often words have more than one meaning. (For example, a diaphragm has one meaning to a gynecologist and another to a structural engineer.) Also, you may not be as concerned about the technical word used as you are about the implications of the illness or disease and its impact on you. Being clear about what you really want to know puts you and your practitioner on the same wavelength.

Ask to share in the logic behind the treatment. Sometimes a practitioner doesn’t know how much information a patient wants. It is always appropriate to ask why something is being done and the reasoning behind it. For example, to be informed why a particular test is being ordered you might ask, “What do you hope to learn from the test and what does it mean if the test is positive or negative?”

Be honest. When a practitioner asks you a particular question, the response could be important to the diagnosis. Directness is another part of honesty. If what you’re really seeking is birth control, don’t complain of cramps and “hope” the practitioner will prescribe oral contraceptives. Otherwise, you may leave with a mild pain reliever and some recommended exercises.

Give feedback. Let your provider know when you are dissatisfied as well as when you are pleased.

A final word. Studies indicate that people who take responsibility for their own health are usually more satisfied with the care received. You exert a good deal of control over your own health by the choices you make in what and how much you eat, whether you smoke, how much you drink, if you exercise. A health care provider cannot make those choices for you.

While the majority of students are satisfied with their care, even in the best health care systems there may be occasional problems and dissatisfied consumers. If you feel you could be receiving better health care at the University Health Service, first discuss the problem with your practitioner. If still troubled, you may: (1) deposit your concern in the comment box in the first floor UHS waiting room; (2) address it to the UHS director; or (3) take it to the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC), located in the UHS.