Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, psychologists and social workers may all be involved in your care. Here are some tips on getting the best out of them.
Don't be a stranger
Helping to choose your own treatment regimen, and getting the right information before you start taking it, can help you stay healthy. One reason for this is that people who understand their anti-HIV medication find it easier to take it properly. You probably know how important this is in HIV – read more here.
So how do you stay involved and informed? Regular appointments with those in your healthcare team can help you build relationships with them, especially if you try to see the same people each time. This contact will empower you to take part in decisions about your treatment.
Don't skip your appointments, and get there on time. This will make you feel in control – you can get things done and get on with living your life. Likewise, if a professional is late for your appointment, ask them politely to explain why.
Between appointments, you can still find ways to keep in touch. Ask if your clinic offers telephone advice, email contact or an out of hours phone service.
Open up
You're always welcome to ask for help with any problems you have taking your medication or looking after yourself in general. It's important to let your healthcare professional know if things aren't quite right. But even if things are going well, it's good to keep giving your healthcare team as much information about yourself as possible. This will help all of you arrive at the best decisions together, and make you feel more supported and comfortable in conversations. When things are going less well, those supportive relationships can make a big difference.
Good things to talk about include:
- your daily routine
- your priorities in life (family, children)
- your feelings (happy, sad, worried, OK)
- a bit about your sex life
- your use of drugs/alcohol
- your job
- what you want out of treatment
If you read or hear anything you don't understand, don't be shy to ask your doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist to explain things more simply. Ask for written information if you still have questions or uncertainties. You can also use the glossary of terms here for an explanation of clinical terms.
Follow the PATH
Sometimes you can leave an appointment feeling a bit frustrated if you haven't talked about all the things you meant to. This happens when you're rushed for time, not sure how to say things, or simply forget what was on your list. Try this:
PREPARE
Before you go, make sure you've covered everything you wanted to talk about. Then you will feel satisfied that you made the most of the appointment.
ASK QUESTIONS
Write down the questions you want to ask and take the list with you. Check out the next section: Power questions for help with this.
TAKE NOTES
During the appointment, you can write down important points to read over later.
LEAVE HAPPY
Before you go, make sure you've covered everything you wanted to talk about. Then you will feel satisfied that you made the most of the appointment
Next section: » Power questions
