How to Navigate Doctor’s Appointments
I am working on being honest with my health care professionals when I go to a doctor’s appointment. This one is pretty challenging I must admit. For some reason I sometimes try to get through an appointment without fessing up that I need an accommodation, especially if it is a doctor who knows me as a professional in the community as well. However it has never ever been worth it to try to get through my appointments without being honest about this new development in my life. I am working on being more forthcoming at the beginning of the appointment which means I get it out of the way and am more likely to get what I came for. Here are some things to do when you meet with your doctor to make sure you are getting your needs met:
- First is to give them a brief update on your hearing. Let them know what you need during the appointment to understand them best.
- Utilize your assistive technology. I always bring my Phonak Roger In and pull it out and ask the doctor to wear it or place it on the desk next to them if needed. (works best if they clip it on their lab coat) This mini mic picks up their voice and bluetooths it directly to my hearing aid. Once they clip on the little mic and are sitting across from me where I can see their lips they have done their job to make communication easier for me. Not a big deal!
- If I am not utilizing Roger In, I utilize a transcription app on my phone called Eva. Not only can I read what they are saying as closed caption, I can also then save the transcript and read it later to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Unfortunately I can’t use both Roger In and Eva at the same time. My phone will only allow one at a time.
- Bring a friend with a notepad! Having a friend there offers moral support and someone to check in with later if you feel like you missed something.
- If your health care professional is wearing a mask, respectfully ask that they remove it. Experiencing how challenged I am when talking to someone wearing a mask helps me see that I really am a pretty decent lipreader! For me effective communication is impossible when the face is covered up.
- If you are seeing someone using telehealth, contact their office ahead of time and let them know you need closed captioning engaged for your appointment. It often needs to be set up ahead of time on their end. Not all telehealth apps have closed captioning ability but some of them do and it is very helpful to know ahead of time if iit will be available to you if needed.
- If you have a Mac, set up live captioning ahead of time on your computer or phone for all video calls . This way even if your doctor doesn’t have closed captioning on their telehealth app you can still get your appointment captioned on your screen.
- Know that it is your right to get what you are paying for when you go to your doctor. It is actually the law for them to accommodate your hearing loss with whatever you need. Read up on your rights and practice asking for what you need.