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Most visits to a health care professional are hurried affairs these days. Build a "health partnership" with your health care professional by preparing for your visit. Whether the visit is for you or for a family member, these tips can help you get the care and attention you need:

1.	Take a list of questions about your health concerns. Review the questions before you meet with your health care professional so you're prepared to ask them.
2.	Know your allergies and family health history and discuss them, as appropriate.
3.	Tell your health care professional if you are pregnant or planning to be pregnant in the near future. Some medications pose special risks for pregnant women.
4.	Share information about all medications you are currently taking, both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC), as well as vitamins, dietary supplements and herbals, with your pharmacist and health care professional.
5.	Ask about the benefits and potential side effects of any prescription or OTC medication your health care professional recommends.
6.	Always take a medication as prescribed or instructed on the label: The dosage (daily amount and frequency) of a medication has been proven to provide the safest and most effective therapy. Never take more of a medicine than your doctor or the label recommends.
7.	When a test or treatment option is presented, ask:

	a.	Why it is being recommended?
	b.	What is the test or treatment designed to do?
	c.	Are there other treatments or options I should consider?
	d.	How can I find out if my insurance will pay for this test or treatment?
	e.	How can I arrange payments and is there an assistance program I can contact if I don't have medical insurance?
	f.	Can you recommend whom I might see for a second opinion, if I decide to pursue one?

8.	To discuss pain symptoms, describe pain by (1) location, (2) severity, (3) when it occurs, (4) how long it lasts, (5) whether it's localized or spreading and (6) what makes it feel better or worse.
9.	Ask for a complete report on any tests you have performed and whom to contact (and when) for the results.
10.	Try not to leave the health care professional's office with unanswered questions. Before you leave, ask whom you should contact (and how--by phone or e-mail, for example) if you have additional questions.

SOURCE: National Women's Health Resource Center and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association

Resources

National Women's Health Resource Center
157 Broad Street, Suite 315
Red Bank, NJ 07701
1-877-986-9472 (toll-free)
www.healthywomen.org
Provides comprehensive information on the Web and in the National Women's Health Report and other publications; offers referrals to other women's health services via toll-free phone number.

Consumer Health Education Center (CHEC)
900 19th Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006
202-429-3521
www.checforbetterhealth.org
Offers brochures, tip sheets and online materials on the safe and responsible use of OTC medications. CHEC is the nonprofit consumer educational foundation of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA)
900 19th Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20006
202-429-9260
www.chpa-info.org
CHPA represents U.S. manufacturers and distributors of nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and nutritional supplements. CHPA partners with other organizations to produce educational materials on the safe use of OTCs and supplements.