Visiting a doctor isn’t a favorite activity for anyone, but it is part of staying healthy. Being healthy is about physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral well-being. Physical health is body care, mental health is mind care, emotional health is feelings care, and behavioral health is the safety you have through your behaviors. Knowing about personal health needs, individual medical history, and being proactive in understanding and participating in day-to-day health decisions are healthy habits that should be taught and encouraged in the communities.
Children and teenagers should be encouraged to develop healthy habits by enhancing health education and awareness and encouraging participation in making health decisions. Developing healthy habits at an early age helps one become responsible for living a healthy lifestyle and healthy decision-making.
When visiting a health provider, one should provide the necessary health information and documentation to aid in treatment. This includes:
1. A realistic and priority list of concerns. You should always keep a symptom diary on the progression of a problem, for example, change in appetite, weight, sleep, or energy level to share with your doctor.
2. Personal Medical History such as allergies, surgeries, medications, or any other relevant information that is useful in the treatment process.
3. When on medication, you should provide the prescription details including when you started, dosage, and any side effects experienced.
4. Be open and truthful on how you are feeling to your health provider when sharing personal medical facts. Be honest and share information such as drug addiction, sexual behavior, or any other high risks behavior to keep your doctor up to date.
5. Have all the necessary documents including insurance cards or any other relevant documents such as radiology or laboratory results if necessary.
NOTE: When visiting a doctor, keep an open mind and pick out the most important issues and focus on them.
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