For some, a doctor’s visit can be a dreadful experience.
For Black Americans, our complex history and relationship with the health care system adds even more stress.
Black women often report dismissal of their symptoms, concerns, and questions. One in three Black Americans have reported experiencing racism within the health care system.
This often leads to Black folks seeking a new provider or delaying a follow-up appointment. But it’s not enough to avoid necessary health care appointments.
Z. Colette Edwards, founder and chief medical officer at pausitive health, an organization focused on menopause, says it’s important to know how to advocate for yourself in health care settings. It’s more than just speaking up and asking questions — it’s about taking control of your health.
“No one is going to care about your health and your health care more than you,” she says.
Here are her top tips on how you can prepare for your next doctor’s visit.
Don’t make assumptions
Visiting the doctor’s office or emergency room can come with mixed emotions. And if you’re feeling sick or in pain, it can be more difficult to interact with health care providers. Edwards says it’s important to not make assumptions.
Every health care clinician will have a different bedside manner. Just because someone looks like you or shares some other demographic similarity, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will treat you the way you want to be treated.
“Don’t make assumptions based on age or race or name a thing about how a (physician) is going to be,” Edwards says. “They will reveal themselves.”
Prep questions and take notes
Any kind of scheduled doctor’s appointment gives you the opportunity in advance to prepare questions. Experts suggest prepping a short list of questions to ask your doctor, which can help you get the best quality of care. Edwards reminds people to not be afraid to ask questions. It can be easy to skip the seemingly obvious questions, but in reality, nothing is too obvious when it comes to your health.
As you ask questions, it’s important to jot down notes. This can signal to the health care team that you are serious about your health.
Here’s a short list of potential questions:
- What kinds of tests can you run to identify why I’m feeling this…?
- What’s the treatment plan you recommend? When would that start?
- How do my pre-existing conditions impact my treatment for…?
- What side effects should I expect from this medication?
- What side effects would require emergency attention?
- Are there certain lifestyle changes I can make to improve my condition?
Bring a loved one
When living with a chronic disease, being newly diagnosed with cancer, or if you struggle with anxiety — bringing a loved one can help you remember what is being said at these oftentimes highly emotional appointments. A loved one can offer support, advocate on your behalf, ask questions, and signal to the providers that you have friends and family who are part of your health journey.
Advocate for yourself
Edwards has more than 30 years as a physician. She has seen parents overwhelmed by their child’s cancer diagnosis put their feelings aside and advocate for their children. “Parents are intimidated, but because it’s their child, they fight for their child,” she says. In the same way, it’s important to advocate for yourself the way you would for your child or any child.
Part of taking charge of your health involves speaking up for yourself or having people alongside you who can advocate for you. It’s important to understand what health care professionals are doing to support your health journey. Take the initiative to become educated about your condition or concerns and be aware of your options.
Ask to record the conversation
Most states will allow you to record a conversation without the consent of the other person. However, it’s always best practice to ask or let your clinician know you will record the conversation. Unlike Missouri, California, Florida, Maryland, Washington and other states are all-party consent states — meaning it’s illegal to record without the other person agreeing.
So, if you can record, this can be a great option to keep track of what a health care provider is telling you. It’s especially helpful if you are meeting with an oncologist, surgeon, or managing a chronic disease that requires you to see a provider more often than not.
Make sure everything is documented.
Depending on the type of health care visit, it can be useful to make sure everything is documented. For example, if you’re experiencing pain and you request pain medication, if a physician denies it, be sure it’s documented in your chart. This information can be helpful as it can be a proven track record of what medications or tests you have requested.
“It would be atypical that a doctor would refuse to order a lab,” Edwards says. Except in certain circumstances, she says, for example, the menopause experience. Patients’ hormone levels often fluctuate which can contribute to physicians attributing any concerning symptoms to menopause.
This can lead to misdiagnosis of underlying conditions. So, it can be helpful to request these concerns, symptoms, and refusal of further care to be documented in your chart.
This story originally appeared here.