Twenty Questions to Ask Your Doctor
When we are sick, we trust our doctors to arrive at the correct diagnosis and to recommend an appropriate treatment. While doctors do have our best interests in mind, here are some questions we should ask our health care providers to stimulate their thinking and to help arrive at informed decisions about our own health. Asking questions is crucial when facing a serious illness, diagnosis, or treatment plan.
Regarding the Diagnosis
- What evidence (findings and symptoms) led you to my diagnosis?
- What else could it be?
- How can we differentiate among the possibilities and confirm the final diagnosis?
- Are there any findings or symptoms that are inconsistent with my diagnosis?
Regarding the Treatment
- Do my problems/symptoms need to be treated?
- What happens if I do nothing?
- What treatment do you recommend?
- What are the most likely complications or side effects of this treatment, and in what percentage of patients do these complications occur?
- What are the most serious complications or side effects of this treatment, and in what percentage of patients do these serious complications occur?
- What long-term consequences might be expected from this treatment (such as scarring, or a cancer caused by the treatment, or a permanent disability resulting from the treatment)?
- What is the expected outcome of this treatment (for example: cured, somewhat better, or perhaps not better at all)?
- How long should I expect to continue this treatment?
- How long will I be on the treatment before I notice improvement?
- For how long are the benefits of this treatment expected to last?
- What is the expected recovery time for this treatment?
- How long has this treatment been available for my condition, or for other medical conditions?
- How much experience have you had with this treatment?
- What other treatments are available for my situation?
- What led you to select this treatment among the different treatment options available?
- What else can I do, in the way of lifestyle changes, to improve my condition?