Preventative health care is life-changing. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, preventative care reduces the risk of disease, disability and death.
One of the best ways to receive preventative health care is by regularly visiting a primary care provider. A primary care doctor is an umbrella term for a pediatrician, family medicine physician or internal medicine physician. All three are generally specialized and see a variety of age groups.
Pediatricians treat patients up to 18-21 years old, internal medicine begins treating patients at age 18 and family medicine doctors see patients through their entire lifespan.
Robert Stone, chief medical officer at Central Ohio Primary Care, has practiced internal medicine for 20 years.
He likens the primary care physician to a quarterback, who acts as the advisor for patients and helps them navigate their health with their expertise, while the patient knows their body the best. The patient and doctor should work together as a team.
Seeing a primary care doctor annually, if you are in good health, provides the opportunity to catch problems before they become actual issues, says Barbara Bawer, a family medicine physician at The Ohio State University Medical Center’s Primary Care Westerville office.
Primary care providers can counsel you on ways to make better decisions about your health, such as managing stress, exercising, healthful eating and quitting smoking. They can make sure your vaccines are up to date, offer screening tests – such as mammograms and colonoscopies – and manage long-term health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure. They can also refer you to other medical specialists.
Bawer and Stone offered several tips to establish and maintain a good relationship with your primary care provider.
Go to an appointment (in-person if possible) – Though telemedicine has become even more popular since the pandemic, Bawer says that patients often have a harder time connecting over video. When establishing care, she prefers to see patients in person if possible.
Establish care when you are healthy, if you can. Don’t wait until you urgently need to see a doctor to reach out for care, she says, since it usually takes some time to get scheduled for a first-time visit.
Do research ahead of time – Bawer recommends doing research on your primary care doctor ahead of time. Beyond just checking to make sure they take your insurance, think about your preferences, such as wanting a male or female provider. There’s often a small bio for each provider that lists their interests, such as women’s health or preventative medicine. Read about them and see if the doctor’s interests align with yours and your main health concerns.
Feel a connection – It’s important to feel compatible with your provider, Bawer and Stone say.
“Do you feel like you were listened to? Do you feel like you provided all of your history? Do you feel like you were able to say everything you wanted to say during that visit?” Bawer says. “And then you’ve got to feel it out. It’s just like anywhere else, right? Sometimes that first person isn’t perfect for you, and that’s OK. You can always switch to someone else if needed.”
Bring questions, take notes – It helps to be prepared for your visit in order to get the most out of your time in the office. Come with questions, Stone says.
“Writing things down is a really critical thing to do both before a visit if you've got specific questions,” he says, “and during a visit in terms of making sure you take away the things that are being communicated to you.”
Be honest – Your doctor is on your side, Stone says, and won’t judge you for falling behind on, say, exercise plans. Don’t stop going to appointments even if you aren’t where you hoped to be.
“Patients think that not doing something like that makes the physician feel that they’ve failed or something like that,” he says. “And he or she is going to do whatever they can do to help you, but is never going to be disappointed in you.”
Claire Miller is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at cmiller@cityscenemediagroup.com.
