Right To Ask Questions and Get Your Questions Answered

You have the right to ask your doctors and nurses all the questions you want and need in order to fully understand everything about your care. Questions like:

➢    Why are we trying this treatment?
➢    How is it going to help me?
➢    What are the risks involved?
➢    What happens to my health if I refuse this treatment?
➢    What is the recovery time?
➢    Are there any side effects?

My experience has been that most doctors like to make sure their patients understand everything that was discussed in the visit. They’ll spend whatever time is necessary to make sure this occurs. Some doctors, however, because they have fifty other patients to see or are simply impatient, tend to rush things. They may not take the time they should with their patients. So what do you do if your physician is Dr. In A. Rush? You make him spend time with you.

If it looks like your doctor is in a hurry to get you in and out of his office, quickly say, “Wait, I still have questions,” and start asking them. Tell him/her, “I don’t quite understand this,” or “I need you to explain that to me again.” There’s no shame in doing this. Don’t be embarrassed. Don’t be timid. It’s your appointment. Your health and life are on the line. Make sure you get your questions and concerns resolved. If nothing else works you could always chain him to the examination table until he answers your questions. But I would use that as a last resort; it might be hard to get a return appointment.

To make certain I fully understand what my doctor has told me, I always explain everything back to him in my own words. This validates to him I understood what was said. It also reassures me that I comprehended everything discussed; it also helps me remember what we talked about.