5 ways to better understand a doctor giving you difficult, devastating news| Opinion
No matter how many years of school you completed, you can easily become confused amid the stress of learning a new diagnosis or words used in a doctor’s office or hospital.
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Truth is, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals want you to understand their instructions as much as you want to understand them.
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Here are some suggestions to make sure you and your health providers understand each other:
Find a good source
Get your health information from trustworthy sources.
Ask them to say it again
If you don’t understand your health providers’ instructions, ask them to say it in a different way.
Say it back
Repeat your health providers’ instructions back to them to make sure you heard it correctly.
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Practice
Demonstrate the action or therapy you’re supposed to do at home while you’re still in your provider’s office, so you know you have it right.
Bring a friend or family member
Take someone with you to your health appointments to take notes. It’s surprising how two people can hear the same instructions but remember different details. You’ll come away with a more complete picture.
Teresa Canfield is a regional nurse manager for Mount Carmel Health System. Jayne Moreau is program director of health system patient education for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Cathy Patton is senior consultant of patient education for OhioHealth. Marcie L. Rehmar is director of community education at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What to do to understand your doctor during difficult appointments?
