A wait at the doctor's office can be as long as an hour. That's why you'll want to be prepared so you can make the most of your visit.
"These days, you need to ask a lot of questions, speak up for yourself, keep track of your own medications and tests, and test results so that you can share them with many doctors," said Toni Hope of Good Housekeeping.
Even when to schedule an appointment is important, the best time may be after lunch.
"Many doctors do rounds at the hospital in the early morning and they're already running late by the time they get to the office. But they generally catch up by lunchtime, so the best time to schedule your appointment is first thing after lunch," said Hope.
Bring a list to the doctor's office of all your medications, including dosages and how often you take them. And if you need more information on a new diagnosis, Good Housekeeping recommends uptodate.com. It has information on everything from flu to heart disease.
You should know however that it's a subscription site. A one week subscription is $20.
