Well Being . Health Screenings Comm. To give yourself a chance to fully grasp the situation, Robert Gilmore, M.D., Chief of Surgery for Legacy Health System, recommends scheduling another appointment or at least taking a few minutes to gather your thoughts and come up with a list of questions. Dr. Gilmore says it's OK to ask the same question repeatedly until you are comfortable with the information. He recommends taking notes when talking with a surgeon and having a family member with you to ensure that all parties agree.
Most doctors encourage patients to conduct some research of their own.
An excellent place to start is at one of Legacy's health information centers . The Internet is popular for searching for medical information. For a start, try the sites listed here. Although information on the World Wide Web isn't always accurate or pertinent, Dr. Gilmore says that any homework a patient does is a good framework for discussion with the surgeon.