Dr. Joshua Tepper, CEO of North York General Hospital, shares advice on how to talk to your doctor, including: come prepared with a list; ask lots of questions; if you’re Googling your symptoms, consider the quality of your sources; and lots more!  We have all felt unsure, and some of us have felt awkward around our doctor.  Here is our chance to learn how to optimize our communication with our doctors so we can receive the best medical care.
SHOWNOTES
Contents

* 5 Key Learnings
* References & Links
* Andrea’s Commentary
* Interview Transcript
* Conclusion

5 Key Learnings
1.Lists

* Whether it’s on paper or on your phone, Dr. Tepper encourages us to make a list of everything we want to cover in an appointment.
* He also suggests prioritizing. Tell your doctor what your primary concern is first, then share the whole list, so the doctor can validate what is most important.
* By the way – it is ok to make an appointment focused on one thing!

2.Bringing people to our appointments

* Sometimes bringing a friend or family member can be a good idea, particularly in terms of asking all of the relevant questions and remembering everything that the doctor says.
* If we are accompanying someone on a medical appointment, Dr. Tepper suggests that we should also give the patient some time alone with the doctor. Sometimes the patient might be shy about sharing important things when their friends or family are around.

3.) The Google effect & quality of our information sources

* We have all heard about how people google their symptoms and then get hysterical with their self-diagnosis, and how this drives doctors crazy! Dr. Tepper reminds us that this has been going on since the beginning of time, just with different sources. Our sources used to be friends, family and books. Now it is the internet.
* The most important thing to consider is the quality of the source. Random opinion websites and many for-profit online resources are less dependable than government sanctioned resources or academic articles.
* Tepper encouraged us not only to be careful of our sources, but to also ask our doctors for recommendations of online resources that might be more useful for us.

4.)  Asking QUESTIONS

* In Dr. Atul Gawande‘s book Being Mortal, he highlights that “hope is not a plan” – and that applies to both patients and doctors. It is human nature to avoid the negative, and in the medical context, this is not effective.
* In order to get the most thorough diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Tepper encourages us to ask lots of questions. He suggests open-ended questions, such as, “is there anything else I should be thinking about?” “Is there anything else that other patients who are in my situation have also considered?”

5.) Strategies for when we are feeling awkward or embarrassed

* Tepper suggests we ask ourselves WHY we are feeling awkward. If it’s because we think the doctor might judge us, we can start by saying that.  Be honest.
* If you are feeling awkward because you are concerned about privacy or confidentiality, Dr. Tepper suggests asking, “who else can access this information?” If here is something in particular that you don’t want on your file, you can ask your doctor to “black box” that information.
* Tepper encourages his patients who are embarrassed to share something, that instead they write him a letter. Sometimes it is a lot easier to write something than it is to say it. 

References & Links
Dr. Joshua Tepper & North York General Hospital

* Joshua Tepper – http://www.nygh.on.ca/Default.