Communicating with Your Doctor
Communicating With Your Doctor -- Do you find it hard to communicate with your child's doctor? Many caretakers would like to have a stronger role in that relationship, but find it difficult because of personality conflicts, or because of a power imbalance between the doctor and the parent. Meet a doctor and a parent/educator who have worked hard to empower parents in that medical relationship, as they discuss with host Dr. Winnie King the steps you can take to strengthen your own role.
Guests:
Alex Okun, MD: Pediatrician, Children's Hospital at Montefiore; Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Staff Pediatrician, Montefiore Medical Center
Roxann Besoto: Mother of daughter with Spina Bifida; Parent educator of physicians in training at Montefiore Medical Center
Tips: Communicating with Your Child's Doctor
- Come prepared.
- Write out questions if necessary.
- Help set a tone of mutual respect.
- Greet the doctor by name and introduce yourself and your child.
- At a first visit, be prepared to provide your child's medical history (i.e. vaccine record, allergies).
- Review instructions at end of visit. Don't hesitate to ask for clarification.
- Take notes if necessary.
- In emergencies, arrive prepared to give a complete account of accident or symptoms, plus child's medical history.
