Getting more out of a ten-minute appointment

Most appointments are shorter than they should be. Preparation is the only lever you actually control.

The night before

• Write down your three most important questions. Three, not fifteen — you will get to the rest another time.
• Star the one you would be most disappointed to leave without an answer to. Ask that one first.
• Note anything that changed since the last visit, in one line each.

What to bring

• Your trend charts rather than individual numbers.
• A list of everything you are taking, including supplements and anything over the counter.
• The name of anyone else involved in your care.

During the visit

• Ask your starred question in the first two minutes, not the last.
• If you do not understand an answer, say "can you say that again in a different way?" — it is a normal request.
• Write down the plan before you leave the room, or ask them to.

Before you leave

• What happens between now and the next appointment?
• What specific signs mean I should call rather than wait?
• Who do I call, and what is the number outside office hours?

Afterwards

Note what was decided while it is fresh. Two lines is enough, and it saves the "what did they actually say?" conversation later.