Transcripts

Davis Liu, M.D.:
Increasingly, studies have shown that doctor visits have gone under seventeen minutes and so far they seem to be getting shorter. And one of the most important things for people to understand is taking a comprehensive and accurate history is still the most important tool doctors have to get the right diagnosis.

Family physician Dr. Davis Liu, author of the book Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely…

Because of the partial information in a short-timed visit they might jump to the wrong conclusions. The patients must give the doctor the information that they need by understanding how doctors think about the process. Very simply you've got to be a great storyteller. Set the agenda early, list what you want to talk about and list the most important problems first. Describe each problem briefly, tell it in chronological order, and talk about what makes the problem better or worse and what are the symptoms you've noticed.

And listen to this - on average doctors wait only twenty-three seconds before interrupting patients during a doctor visit. So you have to have your story ready to go and tell it well. And there's another problem after you leave the doctor's office…

A Mayo Clinic study found that patients remember less than half of what doctor's tell them during the office visit. It's absolutely critical you know what the diagnosis is - if you're not sure have your doctor write it down. If you need to do tests, remember that you always want to get results. Never ever accept the phrase, 'No news is good news."

You can link to Dr. Liu's website from ours: somethingyoushouldknow.net - I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.