self help
Be Your Own Advocate
How to Organize Your Medical History
Optimize your next physician appointment by bringing a clear , complete picture of your medical history .
By Kelly Rehan
A
VISIT TO THE DOCTOR IS LIKE A JOB INTERVIEW : You have a limited amount of time to get your point across and may leave feeling like there were a million other things you should have said .
Although a first-time appointment may last longer , many checkups only last 15 to 30 minutes . To use your time wisely and leave with the best possible treatment plan , it is important to bring a complete medical history and a list of current symptoms . In this way , your medical history becomes your resume , a document that helps you quickly offer a complete picture of your experiences and helps the physician make a wellinformed decision .
“ There ’ s no test made exclusively for headache — it ’ s all based on history ,” says Edmund Messina , MD , Director of the Michigan Headache Clinic , East Lansing , Mich .
While it might take time to build this history on paper , headache specialists recommend patients err on the side of too much detail .
“ My experiences range from patients who present with no information to an engineering professor who created a PowerPoint presentation with colorcoded graphs ,” says Wade Cooper , DO , Director of the Headache and Neuropathic Pain Program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor , Mich .
“ A detailed history is always preferred to ensure an accurate diagnosis and development of an effective treatment plan .”
On the other hand , not all physicians will have time to sift through stacks of old family records . To optimize time with your physician , organize your medical history in a clear , complete manner and bring a printout to your appointment .
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING CLEARLY
When you ’ re in pain and have a limited amount of time to articulate your history and current symptoms , it can be overwhelming and you could be easily sidetracked . The key to a successful appointment is to organize your thoughts in advance .
Your medical history should answer a number of key questions ( see sidebar ) and should also contain any speaking points you want to convey or any questions you want to ask . You should also plan to include :
• A list of all medications used for headache or headache prevention and the doses ( a printout from the pharmacy may be helpful ), and a list of all vitamin supplements or alternative treatments used
• Copies of any diagnostic records ( e . g ., magnetic resonance imaging scans , CT scans , neck X-rays , etc .)
• A headache diary that details when you had your headaches in recent months and any known triggers
Want more tips for communicating with your physician ? Go to www . headaches . org , click “ Resources ” and select “ Tools for sufferers .”
22 HEAD WISE | Volume 2 , Issue 4 • 2012