Making the Most of Your Medical Appointments

When medical professionals are in training – Nurse Practitioners, Doctors and Physician Assistants – we are taught to ask specific questions to help us arrive at a correct diagnosis. It is called “analysis of a symptom”. You as a patient, however, receive no training to prepare you to answer these questions.

The first and most important questions is:

What is your chief complaint?

This is the key question and why you have come for an appointment. Get right to this first thing when you greet your provider. Time is short so do not wait until the end of the visit to bring it up.

Most medical appointments are scheduled for 15 minutes. If you are a new patient or are having a complete physical exam maybe it is a 30 minute appointment. Don’t expect to address a long list of problems in a single visit, there is not enough time. If you have a lot of complaints you may need additional appointments to resolve them all.

13 Questions You Will Be Asked about Your Chief Complaint

1. When did it start?
2. Is this the first time you’ve had it or have you felt this before?
3. Did it come on suddenly or gradually?
4. Where do you feel it? One specific spot – can you point to it with one finger? Or is it all over?
5. Does it stay in the same place or radiate/travel to another area? Chest to back? Back to leg? Shoulder? Arm? Neck?
6. What does it feel like? Sharp? Dull? Burning? Stabbing? Aching? Pressure? Other?
7. Is it constant or does it come and go? At what frequency?
8. What provokes it or makes it worse? Movement? Breathing? Eating? Not eating? Lying down? Exertion?
9. What makes it better?
10. How have you treated it yourself? Did that help?
11. On a scale of 1 to 10 - if 1 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you have ever felt in your life – what number would you give your pain?
12. Is it severe enough to disrupt your normal activities?
13. What do you think (or fear) it might be?

Whenever you see a health professional always bring a current and complete medication list – including the doses – and know your family medical history. Bring any relevant records related to your problem if you have them or a fax number where they can be obtained.

Does this shed some light on how your health professional is working to find the cause of your complaint? Do you think knowing these questions is helpful?

This information is offered for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prescribe or treat. For that please seek direct care from a health professional.

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