3 Powerful Strategies to Self-Advocate in Your Medical Appointments
With these 3 insights, you'll learn to effectively advocate for yourself in medical appointments, establish your boundaries, and hold your clinician accountable.
As you navigate the demands of service or prior service and how it has challenged your health, we want to ensure you know what resources are available to you so you can learn more about your body, support your health, and begin to heal.
Medical Advocacy Tips:
1. Review your medical appointment notes after every single appointment.
Every time you see a medical professional, even if it’s just a sick call on the ship or at your command, your medical care professional or doctor is obligated to submit notes summarizing your appointment and interaction.
After your appointment, review and take appropriate action on the following:
Ensure your medical professional accurately represented what you needed, what you discussed, and the way ahead.
If you disagree with what is in your post-appointment notes or if something is missing, send your medical professional an email stating the discrepancy and providing the correction. This will act as your official request that they update your medical record. Make sure to keep that email for your own personal records. I’ve provided an email template for this below:
“I reviewed the notes for my appointment with you on [DATE/TIME], and I did not find them to accurately reflect what we discussed. You stated, XXXX’ while XXXX is missing. This email serves as my formal request for you to update the appointment notes so my medical record is accurate. Thank You.”
If you have to go back and forth with the professional about this, consider switching providers if that is an accessible option for you. Either way, hold your ground. Make sure you’re (professionally) setting boundaries.
2. Ask your medical care professional to annotate their decision to deny any requests you make for care.
If you request care — a test, bloodwork, a procedure, medicine, etc. —and your medical professional doesn't professionally agree it is something you need for care, politely ask them to annotate their denial of your request in your record. I’ve provided an email template for this as well below:
“Thank you for considering my request. Please include your denial of my request for XXX in my medical record and your post-appointment notes so my medical record is accurate.”
3. Hot Take: Energy matters in medical and health care environments. If you currently have a provider you wouldn’t be happy to run into on the street and chat with, you might want to consider switching.
Your medical and health care status is often one of the most vulnerable situations you can find yourself in.
When it comes to medical appointments, most of us were taught to get in and get out — to keep it moving.
You don’t have to accept that mindset anymore.
You are going to appointments to receive care, and you deserve care. If you don’t connect with a provider and wouldn’t be open to seeing them outside of their professional capacity, that’s a sign. Your whole being is telling you something about them that does not align with you, and that is something to listen to and honor.
When was the last time you felt cared for in the way you deserved by someone you don’t like? Probably never, right?
Let this empower you to make the best decision for your needs. Listen to yourself, trust your instincts, and set your boundaries.
READ:
Does Your Military Provider Dismiss Your Symptoms? Here's an options for you.
As you navigate the demands of service or prior service and how it has challenged your health, we want to ensure you know what resources are available to you so you can learn more about your body, support your health, and begin to heal.
