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Today patients take an active role in their
health care. You and your doctor work as a team to achieve your best
possible level of health. An important part of this relationship is
good communication. Here are some tips to help you and your
doctor improve your health care together.
Talk to Your
Doctor & Ask Questions
Any information about current and past health
issues or concerns will help your doctor during your appointment. It's
important to share any information you can, even if you're embarrassed.
Don't be afraid to speak up. It's important to let your doctor know if
you don't understand something. If you don't ask questions, your
doctor will think you understand everything he or she told you.
Take
Information Home with You & Follow Up with Your Doctor
Taking written information home can help you
remember instructions or what was discussed during your visit. It's
okay to write down information or bring a family member or friend to help
you. Your doctor is someone you can trust to give you accurate
medical information. You can request educational brochures or
materials or ask about good quality websites that will provide you with more
information.
Make sure to follow any instructions your doctor gives you such as taking
medicine, scheduling a test or additional appointments. If you're
confused or have forgotten some information, it's okay to call your doctor or ask
to speak to a nurse.
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What is a
family medical history?
Your family medical history provides insight into the diseases and
conditions that are common to your family.
A family medical history or medical family
tree is a record of illnesses among family members. Depending on how much
information you're able to obtain for each relative, your medical family
tree can be very detailed and include
health issues each family member faced.
How is a
family medical history used?
Compiling a family medical history can help
you and your doctor spot patterns of
specific conditions and diseases among family members. Your doctor and
other health care professionals can use your family's medical history for
a number of things,
including:
Diagnosing a
medical condition
Determining
whether you may benefit from preventive measures to lower your
risk of a specific disease
Identifying
other members of your family who are at risk of developing
certain diseases
Calculating
your risk of certain diseases and your risk of passing conditions
to your children
Someday it
may be possible to use genetic testing to predict all of the diseases for
which you're at risk. Until that time, your family's medical history may
provide the best look into your possible future.
How do you
gather information about your family's medical history?
Interview your relatives in person or on
the phone, or send them a survey. Come up
with questions to ask your relatives. Your survey should include questions
about
medical conditions your relatives have and their health habits, such as
smoking.
Your
questions might include:
Can you provide
significant dates, such as birth dates and approximate dates when
diseases were diagnosed?
What major
diseases has the family experienced? Examples are heart disease,
stroke, cancer, depression, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, obesity,
blindness or
deafness. At what age were these diseases or conditions diagnosed?
Was treatment
successful?
Have family
members had a tendency toward other conditions, such as allergies,
asthma, migraines or frequent colds?
Share your
family medical history with your doctor
Take your completed medical history with you to your next doctor's
appointment. Your doctor can help you analyze disease patterns throughout
your family and can talk with you about your risk of developing certain
diseases.
Mayo
Foundation for
Education and Research
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