Most of us tend to postpone long-pending doctor’s appointments worrying about the outcome, not to mention expensive tests and procedures. Invariably, most of our worries stem from reading about symptoms and expecting the worst.

However, a simple routine appointment with your doctor can relieve you from stressing about your health and help you understand what your body needs to keep fit.

Keeping this in mind and letting your doctor worry about the rest should help you make that appointment.

How to make the best of it?

Doctor’s appointments can sometimes be an impulsive decision, but it’s always good to be well prepared for the appointment itself.

Organize and arrange your previous records and all that you need for your current visit. This is sure to calm you down and also help the hospital or clinic serve you better.

A few things on your checklist should include:

  1. Standard identification – It’s probably something you always carry with you, so simply double check if you have it on you. These include any state-issued ID cards like a driver’s license.
  2. Insurance details – Another important thing to carry would be your health insurance information and insurance card.
  3. Medical summary – Before a doctor’s visit, it’s always best to organize your medical history and prescriptions afresh. It’s also a good idea to carry a signature stamp if you have any illnesses that make filling out forms difficult for you.

What else can you do to be ready?

Apart from organizing your paperwork, you can also prepare yourself for the appointment.

  1. Put in a bit of planning. Setting aside the ideal time and date can reduce your stress greatly. For instance, planning a doctor’s visit during an important week at work could very well let your work stress spill onto your appointment.
  2. You need to confirm with your doctor or the hospital what kind of specialist you need. Also, get an idea about the tests they are likely to run and whether you need to be on an empty stomach for them. Ensuring this might even save you an additional visit at times.
  3. For urgent visits, call your doctor or the hospital and let them know that you are on your way. If they do not have a specialist immediately around, they can redirect you.
  4. Always make sure you are on time for your appointment even if it means waiting longer. You never know – they just might squeeze you in if somebody else is late or it may work the other way round if you are the one late.
  5. Make a list of things you want to talk about and take them with you for the appointment. Make sure you understand what the doctor says and if it’s too much medical jargon, feel free to stop him and ask him to break it down for you. Getting your facts right is more important than worrying about what you didn’t understand later.
  6. If you are nervous about your appointment, you can always take a friend along to keep you relaxed during your wait and procedures.

These simple steps can help you plan better and be relatively stress-free during your doctor’s visits.