There are several things you can do to make sure you communicate effectively with the medical staff.

Beforehand, regardless of whether the conversation happens at the doctor’s practice, on the phone or on a video call, you should take some time to prepare what you want to say.

The following tips can help you:

1. Don’t forget to take along, or have ready, all your medical reports (your “medical file"), sorted chronologically if possible.
2. In a structured way, tell the doctor precisely what symptoms you have. Start with the ones that are most important from your point of view.
3. Before the appointment, you should write down any questions you want to ask the doctor.
4. During the consultation, you should mention all the points that are important to you.
5. If you don't understand something, you should ask about it.
6. It’s a good idea to make notes during the consultation. They can help you to remember everything later on.

Here are some more tips for your conversation with the doctor and for preparing for a video consultation.

A short film by cartoonist Werner Tiki Küstenmacher summarizes the main points.

A brochure produced by the patient safety alliance APS provides further information and tips on preparing to see the doctor.

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