Advocating for Yourself at Doctor’s Appointments
Advocating for yourself at a doctor’s appointment can be daunting, especially if you’ve been dismissed or ignored. However, to receive the best possible care, you must communicate your concerns, desires, needs, and goals with the clinician.
By: Alexandra Berger
Patient self-advocacy is especially important for eating disorders since doctors receive minimal training in the diagnosis, treatment, or management of eating disorders, and minimal education in nutrition.
What is Patient Self Advocacy?
Patient self-advocacy is the act of “representing one’s own interests within the health care decision-making process.” It involves patients participating in healthcare decisions and speaking up to ensure those decisions align with their needs, goals, and values. Remember, “You’re the leader of the team taking care of you. That means asking as many questions as are needed to make sure you understand what is being discussed.” - Dr. Carl Streed Jr MD MPH.
Below are tips to help you advocate for yourself in your next doctor’s appointment.
Before the Appointment
Collect and Record Data About Your Symptoms
Remember, your doctor only knows what you tell them. Sharing your history, symptoms, and experience will help the doctor provide the best care for you.
Make a List of Items you Would Like to Address
Take time before your appointment to outline what is most important to you and what should be addressed during your meeting. If you prefer, write a script of what you would like to say during the appointment. It may be helpful to role-play the conversation you want to have with your provider with a trusted supporter or member of your treatment team prior to your appointment!
Call Ahead of the Appointment to Express Any Concerns to the Staff
You can inform the staff that you have an eating disorder and do not want to discuss weight or eating habits during your appointment.
Get There Early
Aim to arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment starts. This will provide you with ample time to fill out any forms or discuss any concerns with the staff before meeting with your provider. This will also give you time to become acclimated to a potentially anxiety-inducing environment and practice grounding and coping skills as needed.
Talk to the Staff While Checking In
You can inform or remind the staff at this point that you have an eating disorder and decline to be weighed unless medically required. However, if medically necessary, explain to the staff that you only consent to a blind weight, in which you do not want to see your weight, and your weight does not appear on post-visit paperwork.
Bring a Friend or Family Member for Support
Doctor’s appointments can be stressful or overwhelming, and having emotional support can be extremely helpful. Also, having someone with you who understands your healthcare needs and preferences can help you advocate for yourself.
During the Appointment
Be Honest and Open With Your Healthcare Provider
You can tell your provider: “Before we get started, I wanted to let you know that I have an eating disorder and do not want to discuss my weight or eating habits during this appointment. If you have any questions, I can provide my treatment team’s information.” Having a script can be supportive and ease anxiety around sharing this with your provider.
Share as Much Information as Possible
This is the time to share the data you collected about your symptoms and concerns, values, goals, and preferences regarding your treatment. Providing as much information as possible will help the physician make an informed, appropriate decision on your treatment plan.
Take Notes
During each appointment, write down important information on your diagnosis, treatment options, follow-up care, medications, testing, next steps, and other pertinent information. Research has found that most patients struggle to remember what doctors say during appointments correctly, and if they do, they often recall the information incorrectly.
Speak Up
If it feels like the physician is not hearing you, feel free to say something like “Can we focus back on …” or “It seems like you might have misunderstood what I said about …” Additionally, if something is unclear or confusing, speaking up can help clarify any misunderstandings and promote better communication between you and the doctor.
After the Appointment
Practice Self-Compassion
Take time to reflect on the appointment. Acknowledge and allow negative feelings to come up and approach them with kindness and mindfulness instead of judgment. Engage in self-care activities that help you feel safe, such as journaling, reading a book, meditation, and visualization techniques. Dr. Kristin Neff, Ph. D., a psychologist and a pioneer in self-compassion, provides self-compassion-guided practices and exercises on her website.
Ask Yourself: Is This Provider Right For Me?
Check in and ask yourself whether you feel comfortable with the doctor, feel heard and listened to, and feel involved in your healthcare decisions. Reflecting on these questions can clarify whether the doctor is a good fit for you and is on your side. If you feel that the doctor is not aligning with your needs and goals, consider finding a new doctor. There may be another doctor in the same office you can see instead, or it is time to look into another doctor and practice entirely to support your healthcare goals.
Advocating for oneself during a doctor's appointment can be challenging, particularly when past experiences have been discouraging. Nevertheless, open communication of your concerns, desires, needs, and goals is crucial to receiving the best possible care. This is particularly true for those with eating disorders, given the limited training doctors often receive in diagnosing, treating, and managing these conditions. By empowering yourself through self-advocacy, you can ensure that your voice is heard and your needs are addressed, ultimately improving your healthcare experience.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues. If you or a loved one are struggling with eating disorder behaviors, RSVP for our next free Virtual Eating Disorder Support group here.
Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our programs and services. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below, or read more about our philosophy here.
This post was written by BALANCE Dietetic Intern, Alexandra Berger (she/her).
References
“How to Make 2023 the Year of Advocating for Your Health and Wellness - Blog: Everlywell: Home Health Testing Made Easy.” Everlywell, www.everlywell.com/blog/virtual-care/self-advocacy-well-being-tips/. Accessed 1 May 2023.
Kessels, R. P. “Patients’ Memory for Medical Information.” JRSM, vol. 96, no. 5, 1 May 2003, pp. 219–222, https://doi.org/10.1258/jrsm.96.5.219.
Neff, Kristin. “Self Compassion.” Self Compassion , 23 Sept. 2022, self-compassion.org/.
Ramos Salazar, Leslie. “The Effect of Patient Self-Advocacy on Patient Satisfaction: Exploring Self-Compassion as a Mediator.” Communication Studies, vol. 69, no. 5, 16 Apr. 2018, pp. 567–582, https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2018.1462224.
Tse, Angel, et al. “Challenges in Eating Disorder Diagnosis and Management among Family Physicians and Trainees: A Qualitative Study.” Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 10, no. 1, 31 Mar. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-022-00570-5.