Why Asking Your Doctor the Right Questions Matters

If you’re familiar with my quarterly column (as well as our educational blog series) you know that I often advocate for our members to be active in their healthcare by asking questions. If you don’t know what you don’t know, then how do you know what you need to know? Say that five times fast! All jokes aside, it is important to be actively engaged in the care that you’re receiving for multiple reasons. First, doing so increases the likelihood that you receive high quality services. Second, being informed from the start of a healthcare journey makes the next steps, and your healing process, more effective. Third, you can become more aware of the costs, both monetary and physical, of your treatments. While we could break down each of those steps in detail, I instead want to explore just a few of the questions that you can ask when receiving care, and the information or positive outcome that you can expect from those questions!

The first question you should ask is what might have caused my illness or injury? You may have heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly while expecting different results. Don’t just expect the root cause of an issue to arise without any effort on your part. Remember, your physician is just a physician, not a magician or mind-reader! At the beginning of any healthcare process, it is crucial to get to the bottom of a root cause. While this may be more apparent in the case of a rolled ankle or concussion, the genesis of an issue can be hidden in cases like blurry vision or chronic fatigue. Asking this question also gives you space to explore your family health history, as well as any other recurring health issues that may be unconsciously present in your day-to-day life.

The second question you should ask is what are my treatment options, and what are the upsides and downsides to each? The benefits of asking this question are twofold. First, by exploring all treatment options with your provider, you may discover an alternative or less popular treatment method that, because we are all unique individuals with unique needs, may better suit your situation and health history as opposed to the most popular treatment in a given situation. Second, by understanding the positives and negatives of a selection of treatments, your provider can help you select the best treatment for you wherever you are in life. If you have young kids and are doing a lot of running from work to after school events to sports, then it would be beneficial to, through this question, discover a treatment option for you that may lead to less tiredness, for example!

A third question you should ask is how long should my recovery take, and will I need any lifestyle changes? Hopefully by the end of your appointment, you can have a clear roadmap ahead for your treatment and recovery. It can be very helpful to ask about what you can expect in terms of recovery, as well as any action you can take or habits you can change, that will aid in your recovery. When we receive medical care, we’re not just looking for a quick band-aid to slap onto our problems. We’re looking for a holistic, effective treatment plan that leads to a greater quality of life. By asking for clear recovery parameters, as well as asking for any advice in terms of how you can change your lifestyle to support your recovery and future health, you are asking for the most effective outcome rather than a quick patch and an inevitable return to the doctor.

Hopefully this brief smattering of questions to keep in mind can equip and empower you during your next medical appointment, from your primary care physician to your optometrist! However, keep in mind that these aren’t all the questions that are great to ask. Never be afraid to ask questions and advocate for yourself in any healthcare situation. It’s your healthcare, and it’s your choice! The Liberty HealthShare community is here to offer support to you in body, mind, and spirit, so be encouraged and know that Proverbs 18:15 says “an intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”!