Hearing Center: Preparing For a Doctor's Appointment

Feb 14
09:18

2012

Andrea Avery

Andrea Avery

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Before you start thinking about visiting a hearing center, your first concern upon suspecting auditory impairment is to make an appointment with a good doctor. Here are some valuable tips you can use in preparing for your appointment.

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Before you start thinking about visiting a hearing center,Hearing Center: Preparing For a Doctor's Appointment Articles your first concern upon suspecting auditory impairment is to make an appointment with a good doctor. Ear, nose, and throat specialists will be best suited to evaluate your condition and refer you to an audiologist, but you can always start with your regular family doctor if you feel more comfortable. Everyone brings a unique and different medical history with them when they go to the doctor, and this history is important when it comes to determining what the correct course of treatment will be. Here are some valuable tips you can use in preparing for your appointment. Bring a Friend Many people are under the mistaken assumption that a doctor's visit needs to be some private affair. While it is certainly within your right to keep your medical history and consultations to yourself, whether it is with a doctor or a hearing center, sometimes it helps to have someone else there with you. The reasons are numerous. For one thing, it gives you moral support. You may be feeling nervous, and having a friend there can help immensely. Another thing is that many patients find that they forget what the doctor said once they leave the office. Having someone there can help refresh your memory if you don't quite remember everything later. Write out Questions The doctor's office or hearing center is a bad place to try and remember everything you wanted to ask. Inevitably, you will get home and remember three more questions you wanted answered. It may be difficult to get the doctor on the phone later and you might satisfy yourself with some internet research. This is usually a bad idea. Write all of your relevant questions down beforehand and bring them with you to your appointment. The doctor won't mind—in fact, most medical professionals are pleased when they see patients taking an active role in their own health. Do Some Research While many doctors roll their eyes at any patient who has "educated themselves" by way of a website, the information is out there for anyone willing to look. Of course, the problem is that there is as much misinformation out there as there is good knowledge. But this is why you don't stop with some web browsing. You bring that information with you and get your doctor's opinion on the things that you've read. A doctor isn't a mind reader and most physicians are extremely busy. By bringing in your own independent research, you can ensure you get the most out of your appointment.