Start by describing your concern
Explain what you have observed and the improvement you are hoping for. You do not have to choose a treatment before attending the visit.
- How do you understand the problem I have described?
- What else would you want to know before discussing a medicine?
- What other approaches could we consider?
- What would make a medicine a poor fit for me?
Ask for the reasoning behind the medicine
If a medicine comes up, give its name a place in your notes. Then ask the clinician to explain the link between that choice and your goal.
- Could you give me the medicine’s full name and say which form it comes in?
- What evidence is relevant to the problem I have?
- Does that evidence concern the exact medicine I would receive?
- What do we know, and what is still uncertain?
- For a made-to-order version, which need would that preparation address?
Ask how care continues
Leave time for the practical questions. A plan on paper can make it easier to recall the conversation later.
- Which pharmacy would supply the medicine?
- Who can explain the written instructions?
- What will tell us how well the plan is working?
- Who handles questions between visits?
- Which charges does this bill cover, and which are billed separately?
- What happens if we change course or decide against treatment?