Research recently conducted by various national universities suggests patients now receive about 11 minutes of face time with their doctor. Fewer primary care physicians, overwhelmed office schedules and more patients needing to be seen is leaving doctors scrambling — with less patient time. As a result, the time you get with your doctor needs to be quality time. Here are a few things to keep in mind for your next doctor’s appointment.

First, when scheduling your appointment, be sure to tell the receptionist why you’re coming in and if the appointment is an annual appointment or a specific health concern. This allows the proper amount of time to be set aside for your issue. As a new patient, bring all of your medications, including any documents involving your health history. For those patients with chronic illness or issues, providing a detailed record of your symptoms when they occur and noting specifically where you are experiencing difficulty (i.e., lower, right side of stomach,, below belly button by 2 inches) narrows the time your doctor has to spend hunting the precise location of your problem.

Next, when beginning your conversation with your doctor use specifics such as: “I fell outside last week and hurt my knee, it isn’t getting better and I think I tore a ligament” you avoid losing precious time by being concise. Always keep in mind however, patients should never shy away from stopping the doctor to ask questions when they feel the need for clarification on a topic. When patients feel a greater need for additional information regarding a health concern, ask if the doctor has a handout to read or perhaps an Internet site the doctor can recommend.

Finally, to avoid further lost time with follow-up visits ask the most critical questions first! Many times people will wait until the end of the appointment to ask about the things bothering them the very most. By that time, the problem is patients won’t get the quality time they need and deserve. Be sure to address the most significant problems –first.

Taking measures like these listed above will give patients the power to get their health care needs meet each and every time they see their doctor.