25 tips to get the best treatment

My article originally published December 30, 2019 in National Pain Report. Edited March 16, 2023

Chronic pain appointments can be difficult for both doctors and patients. 

For patients, doctor visits can be intimidating and create anxiety.  We want validation of our pain, empathy, answers, and support.  
 
For doctors, chronic pain patients can be more challenging to treat than other patients.  We can be demanding of their time, attention, and patience.
 
While they genuinely want to help, doctors often have limited training (typically only 11 hours of pain education in medical school); limited time (typically only 15-20 minutes per appointment); limited options due to government, health system, and insurance guidelines; and limited internal resources to treat chronic pain patients.
 
So how do you make the most of your appointment time and get the best treatment when you visit the doctor?
 
Below are 25 suggestions to help maximize the patient-doctor experience (thanks to the many ideas provided by members of the Chronic Pain Champions – No Whining Allowed Facebook support group):
 
 
In general

1. Don’t bring any bad experiences you may have had with other doctors in the past to your appointment.  You don’t want to muddy a new doctor relationship.
2. Go with a stated purpose but don’t go with any pre-conceived expectation about getting a certain treatment or continuing a specific treatment, like opioid therapy, or a specific diagnostic test, like an MRI.  Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer for chronic pain.  It’s not like prescribing an antibiotic that will cure an infection.  Most chronic pain doesn’t have a cure.  You may not be able to be fixed.
3. Let your doctor determine the best course of action.  That is why you’re there.  To get the help you need, not necessarily the help you think you need.  Be open to any suggested treatment recommendations.  Any treatments should be a shared-decision.
4. Ask your doctor about arranging recurrent appointments (quarterly, etc.) just for pain management as well as scheduling extra time, if needed, for those appointments.
5. If you’re seeing the doctor about other medical conditions unrelated to your regular chronic pain, don’t talk about pain.  Keep it for your regular pain visits.
6. Confirm your doctor is up-to-date with the latest pain science, and treatments.  They should be able to correctly answer the questions from my pain quiz.
7. Reduce your reliance on doctors and use of the medical system as your self-management skills grow.

 
 
Before the appointment

1. Make a prioritized list of topics/questions you want to cover at the appointment.  That way you won’t forget things and you’ll stay on topic.  You might also want to practice going over the list and what you want to say to help capitalize on your discussion time at the appointment. 
2. Draft an alphabetical list of medications (including over-the-counter medications/supplements).  Include the medication name, the dose (such as 5MG), how many pills you take and how often you take them, as well as the name of the doctor who prescribed them.  Include any allergies on this list.  Download this free template.
3. Put together a medical summary of major health events, medical conditions, surgeries, and special treatments related to your pain condition.  Make it easy to read and keep it short, one- or two-pages so the doctor can get a quick snapshot of your history. Download this free template.
4. Arrange for a family member or other trusted support person to go with you to the appointment to be a second set of ears and take notes.

 
 
At the appointment

1. Arrive early with your insurance card and payment method.
2. Bring your prescription list.  Give this list to the nurse at the beginning of each appointment to help them reconcile your medicines.
3. Bring copies of your prioritized list of topics you want to cover at the appointment.  Share with your doctor and support person at the beginning of your visit. 
4. If visiting a new provider, also bring your medical summary and any relevant x rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds along with their radiological reports.
5. If you heard something you think might be helpful in your diagnosis or treatment, take time before your appointment to look at evidence-based scientific research that may support it (try searching on Google Scholar) and bring a copy of the research with you to share with your doctor. Be prepared to talk about it.  Don’t say you Googled some information.
6. Stay non-emotional, calm, and factual.  No drama, whining or catastrophizing about the pain.  And don’t get angry or be rude.  
7. Talk to your doctor about what is happening in your life and how your chronic pain is affecting it.  Pain isn’t just a number on a pain chart.  It’s a biological, psychological, and social experience.  Talk about your emotions, your ability to work, your relationships, and your ability to do daily activities.
8. Be specific when describing your pain symptoms.  Tell the doctor when the pain started and how it started, what kind of pain you’ve been feeling (aching, dull, throbbing, sharp, burning, radiating, pins and needles, electrical, numb, etc.),  how often you experience the pain, where the pain is located (lower back, head, etc.), what you’ve done to help reduce the pain (ice, heat, analgesics, etc.), and how successful those treatments have been.
9. Talk to your doctor about treatment goals.  Once pain becomes chronic, the goal of treatment is often increasing functional ability and quality of life, not pain elimination.
10. Talk to the doctor about the psychosocial components of pain and recommended treatment.  Opioid pain medicines and other medical interventions aren’t always the best or only treatment options.  Explore comprehensive multidisciplinary pain management and rehabilitation.  Ask about other treatments.  If there isn’t a cure, how can you manage the pain?
11. Clarify and confirm.  Ask questions if you don’t understand something.  Repeat what you heard to make sure you heard it correctly.
12. Be respectful.  Listen to what the doctor says and do what they recommend, even if they may involve behavioral changes or other treatments you may have already tried or don’t think are valuable.  If you want them to listen and respond to you, you need to do the same to them.
13. Be patient as a patient.  It may take several doctor visits and/or different treatments before you recognize improvement.
14. Be grateful.  Thank the doctor.

 
 
Bottom line
To get the best treatment from your doctor, be prepared, calm, engaged, insightful, and open to self-management.  It’s harder for doctors to treat patients who are negative or expect the doctor to fix all their problems.
 
I hope you find these tips helpful.