I went to the doctor’s (general practitioner/GP) to get some referrals this afternoon, and while I was there, I was texting with a friend I made during the CAPP meeting. One of the things we discussed was doctor’s appointments, and something my dad came up with to ensure that he dealt with everything he needed to when he went to the doctor. It’s worked for me too, since he told me about it, and based on our discussion, I thought I’d share it here. It’s simple, but sometimes it’s the simple things one never thinks about.
Essentially, what I (and my dad) do now is write down a list of what we want to discuss in a form that we can access when at the doctor’s. It can be in your phone, a notepad, whatever. (Today I wrote it on a post-it and stuck it to my longhand writing notebook, since I was going to work on stuff in there in the waiting room.)
This can consist of a checklist (what I use), point-form notes, sentences… whatever works for you to ensure that you remember everything you want to discuss. (Because there have been more than a few times when I’ve forgotten something I wanted to mention – not the most important issue, but nevertheless a concern. That then requires booking another appointment, and getting back out there, etc.)
For me, some to-do list things work, and some don’t. I’m not terribly good at checking to-do lists on my phone – or even shopping lists – so I need to have them in hardcopy. For other people, it will undoubtedly be otherwise. But given that my friend had never thought of this – and neither had I until my dad mentioned that it was something he did – yes, I thought it was worth sharing.
Anyway. Just a quick little post with this suggestion that might hopefully make other people’s lives a bit easier as well.
🙂 tagÂûght
🙂