English Kreyol ayisyen Español HOME ABOUT US COVID-19 SERVICES CARE TEAM LOCATIONS CAREERS MAKE AN APPOINTMENT GETTING READY FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Doctor’s Appointment Simple tips to make your visit more effective Be on time to your appointment. Arrive 15 to 20 minutes early for your appointment (or know how to connect and sign in ahead of time if it’s virtual). Doing so will give you plenty of time to check in and have your vitals monitored (like your height, weight and blood pressure). Arriving early will also help you get as much time with your provider as possible as it will allow them to remain on schedule. Being on time may also help you feel less rushed or stressed about the appointment. Write your questions down at home. Before your appointment, write down any questions or concerns you want to talk about. It’s easy to forget if you try to rely on your memory alone and sometimes your nerves can make it harder to remember. Writing them down also helps you prioritize your questions so you’ll know what to ask first. Also, bring a list of all of your current medications, including herbs, vitamins and other dietary supplements — those count as medications too. Share your family health history. Be sure your family health history is up-to-date. Share any changes or new conditions of your family members with your provider. (Hint: go ahead and write down any family health changes with your list of questions.) Your family history is a very important tool for predicting your risk factor for many diseases and conditions. Try to relax. It’s natural to be nervous or anxious when visiting a healthcare provider, but remember that they are here to try to help you. Try to relax as much as possible (some patients even suffer from white-coat hypertension, which means their blood pressure actually rises higher than normal when they are in the provider’s office). When you arrive or sign on, take a few deep breaths and remember that your provider is on your get-well and stay-well team. Also, remember that arriving early for your appointment will usually allow you to sit quietly for a few moments to center yourself. Be honest with your provider. Let’s be honest — many medical conditions are uncomfortable to discuss, especially in-person. But you should not feel embarrassed or ashamed to talk about anything with your provider. (Trust us, providers have heard it all!) Actually, leaving out details or lying to your provider can be bad for your health because it affects your care, so tell your provider everything. Honesty is definitely the best policy — especially for your health. Information above from Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials Sept. 16, 2020 edition. Use this as a guide to take notes during your visit with your care provider! USE THE PATIENT PORTAL! We use electronic health records to serve you better! EHR is a digital version of your paper chart. EHRs make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. Information can be created and managed by authorized providers and shared with other providers across more than one health care organization. EASTERN SHORE RURAL HEALTH SYSTEM, INC 20280 Market Street, Onancock, VA 23417 | (757) 414-0400 (P) | (757) 414-0569 (F) info@esrh.org Eastern Shore Rural Health System, Inc. Corporate Headquarters 20280 Market St. Onancock, VA 23417 757-414-0400 (phone) 757-414-0569 (fax) info@esrh.org Rural Health receives HHS funding and has Federal PHS deemed status for certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals. Employee Webmail Copyright © 2021 Eastern Shore Rural Health System, Inc. We Take Care of All of You – Developed by Digital Marketing Solutions LLC