It’s such a strange and interesting time to be alive, isn’t it? There are less eggs at the grocery store, less people on the street and in contrast there is LOTS of extra time. Time to clean, time to watch tv, time to be spent with family, time to talk, time to breathe.
It’s also a very different world to be living in as a patient and as a caregiver. Within the next few weeks there will be so many phone calls from provider offices asking patients to reschedule or to have their appointments via online platforms like facetime, zoom, skype and others. In order for these conversations to go smoothly, be time efficient and helpful to both parties, the best thing you can do is have your medical binder prepared and updated!
Here are my suggestions!
- Update your medical history. Make sure all your current diagnosis are typed correctly with the most recent changes. Anything added in an appointment since the last amendment should be included.
- Update your medication list. These change often. And while the name of the medicine doesn’t always change, the frequency or the dose might very well change from one month to the next. Make sure these are current. This will be critical information for a successful conversation with your doctors and nurses.
- If you have had recent labs done since your last conversation with a provider, have them printed out from the Lab Corp portal OR write down those that were outside of the reference range so that you can refer to them during your conversation.
- Amend your clinic notes section. If it is up to date with the most recent appointments then there should be no concern for misquoting another physician or being unable to remember the current plan of care set in place by another specialist. Many doctors work hand in hand with multiple specialties to ensure the best care for complex patients. Having all the most recent notes is such a blessing when you are a part of collaborative care.
I hope this has been helpful! Look for my next post to be all about how to be the most prepared for your Telemedicine appointments outside of your binder!