Making the most of medical appointments

For people living with chronic pain, getting the most out of a medical appointment can be tricky, especially when you have limited time and may not always know who you will be seeing.

Here is some advice from people living with chronic pain, and our team, on how you can make the most of medical appointments, whether it is related to your pain or something else.

Things to bring

Food/Water – unfortunately clinics are often overbooked, and you may have to wait.

List of medications, especially if you are seeing someone at a hospital or practise where they may not have access to your GP notes and/or latest prescription.

Take someone with you if you feel it would be helpful; they can help keep notes of what the plan that was discussed

Suitable clothes in case you are asked to undress for an examination (something that is quick and easy to take off).

Notes or questions regarding your symptoms (see below)

List the most important things you want to discuss – note you may not be able to get through them all. Please note that it is advisable to make ONE APPOINTMENT FOR ONE PROBLEM. It can be difficult to get an appointment to see your GP, so we often take a list of problems. However, they only have 10 minutes and may only be able to address one problem comprehensively. So make sure you discuss your main problem first.

Things to say

Preparing for your appointment is essential. Make sure you outline a short summary. This could include:

• What the problem is, how long you have had it and when did it start
• What concerns you have,
• What you would like to get from the appointment.

Please be bear in mind that most medical appointments are 10 minutes long. You need to be able to explain your problem/concern in 2-3 minutes, to allow the clinician to ask some follow-up questions, and then do an examination.

Things to ask

Do not be afraid to ask if you do not understand. For example:

• "Can you say that again? I still do not understand."
• What are the benefits & risks of the advice they are suggesting?
• Contact details for the clinician/service in case you need to speak with them again.
• Have they got any handouts or somewhere you can go to find more information.
• If you do not understand any words, ask for them to be written down and explained.
• Write things down, or ask a family member or friend to take notes.

Things to expect

The person may be running late for various reasons; clinics are often overbooked, or they may have been dealing with an unexpected emergency.

Medical professionals do not know everything about everything and the person seeing you may not specialise in your problem, they may not be able to answer your question, but hopefully will direct to someone that can. It is also important to know what you are seeing them about, for example if you were referred to a clinic for shoulder pain, they may not be able to advise you on your back or knee problem.

Clinicians are not mind readers and can only make a decision from the information you provide. If you are concerned about something, or are wondering about whether a specific treatment would be suitable for you, please ask directly.

Please be aware that within the NHS, certain treatments are commissioned, based on the latest evidence (these are often referred to as the NICE guidelines), or local commissioning guidelines. This means that not all treatments you read about online, will be available on the NHS or even in the UK.

Online options

Some GP practices has the option on online services. For most people this may be the quickest way to get in contact with a clinician. Find out more at the following link:

ask my GP (opens in a new tab)

Your request will be assigned to the most appropriate clinician (GP, practice nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist), and they will get in contact via your preferred method. We suggest always selecting a phone appointment first, if you wish to speak to someone, as this is usually the quickest. If they need to see you face-to-face in order to deal appropriately with your problem, they will offer you an appointment. If the person you speak to is not able to deal with your problem, they will direct your query to the most appropriate clinician.

Other practices may call it something else, like ‘Anima’. Find out whether your surgery uses an online triaging system to make the most of it.

What if I’m not satisfied?

You can ask for a second opinion, though this may be re-arranged to a different time.

The service will have a procedure for complaints (or positive feedback) if required.

Hopefully they will be able to help and a respectful conversation can help you make the most of it.

Other resources

What to ask your doctor or other healthcare professional (opens in a new tab)

Self-Management Navigator Tool (opens in a new tab)

Take home messages

☑ Be prepared

☑ Communicate clearly