Healthcare Appointments - Tips For Interacting With Healthcare Providers

Tips for interacting with healthcare providers

When raising a child with a disability or illness, you may find your day-to-day life looks different. There may be appointments to attend and lots of healthcare providers to interact with. Having some systems in place to manage appointments and medical information can help you adapt to your new ‘normal’. 

Prepare for appointments 

Your child may have appointments with doctors and other healthcare providers to help them manage their disability or illness. To help you manage these appointments, here are some ways you can prepare:

Give yourself time

Always make sure you have lots of time before the appointment. This allows you time to find parking and the right location. Looking up the location of the appointment in advance can help. 

Write down your questions

Sometimes people find they get into their appointment and forget what they wanted to ask. It’s helpful to take a list of questions with you. Put the most important questions at the top. That way, if you only have time for a couple, the most important ones get asked. 

Prepare your child 

Having a bag packed for your child in advance will help prepare for all eventualities. You can pack your child's favourite toys, books or things that comfort them. You may want to have some snacks and a drink packed, as some appointments can take some time. 

Take a support person

It can be really helpful to take a support person along with you to appointments. A support person could help you by doing any of the following: 

• listening to the information and advice, in case there are bits you miss
• taking notes 
• asking questions 
• tending to your child if they become upset or unsettled
• driving you to and from the appointment
• providing emotional support for you during difficult conversations 

If you do take a support person, it is helpful for them to know exactly what you need from them, so be specific. 

Keep a record

It is helpful to have a record of your child's medical information. You may be seeing a healthcare provider for the first time who may not know the background. Having a record of your child’s medical letters and notes can be useful to take to your appointments. You could include information such as past and present medications, treatments, hospital stays or visits and interactions with other healthcare providers. 

The best way to get this information is to ask your child’s GP for it. If you are seeing a specialist doctor at the hospital, you could ask for them to send a copy of their notes to your child’s GP, so you can collect information from there.  

Request an interpreter

If English is not your first language, you may find it much easier to communicate with healthcare providers with an interpreter. You will need to request this in advance of your appointment. Once you receive an appointment time, you could call the service you are seeing and ask for them to arrange for an interpreter to be present.

Engaging with healthcare providers 

If your child has a medical condition or disability, it is likely you will have regular interactions with healthcare providers. It can be overwhelming to have lots of appointments with lots of different people. It is important that you interact with the healthcare team s openly as possible. This will allow you to advocate for what’s best for your child. 

Here are some tips for engaging with the healthcare team that is helping look after your child:

Ask questions

It is important that you ask questions when you are unsure of something or if you have concerns. Your child's healthcare team will be happy to answer your questions. This will help you to make well-informed decisions. You can take a list of questions into appointments. Put the most important questions at the top of the list, in case you run short on time. 

Listen

It can be overwhelming when you have to take on lots of information. If something isn’t clear to you, ask the healthcare provider to explain it. It is important that you listen to what your child's team is telling you. If you feel overwhelmed, let the team know so they can communicate with you better. You could also take a support person to appointments, as they can also listen and perhaps write notes on what the team has said.

Be open and honest

It is important to let your child's doctor and the healthcare team know what's going on for you and your child. Don’t feel embarrassed to talk about your concerns. Your child's healthcare team will want to know what's on your mind so they can try and help you and your whānau. 

If you have seen other alternative therapists, let your doctor know who your child has seen and what treatments they’ve been given. It is essential to make sure the alternative treatment won’t interact with what your child is already taking. It is very important that you tell your child's doctor about any complementary or alternative medicine treatments that you are using, including natural or herbal remedies.

If your child's healthcare provider doesn't ask you for information that you think is important, share it with them 

Follow up

You can ask the healthcare provider to write down any instructions. This could be related to new medications or treatments. Check if there will be another follow-up appointment and ask when this may be. You can ask if there is someone you can contact if your child’s condition changes or if you have follow-up questions.