How to Make a Doctor's Appointment

Making a medical appointment is an ordinary administrative task which becomes formidable chiefly through postponement.

One is well aware that this sounds like the sort of advice that does not require giving, and yet the average man waits longer to see a doctor than he waits for any other appointment in his life, not because the system is slow (though it often is) but because he simply does not make the call. He waits until the problem is undeniable, presents himself as though he has only just noticed, and is surprised when the doctor tells him it has been developing for some time.

The process itself is plain. Much of its apparent complication comes from reluctance rather than logistics, and recognising the source of the difficulty is often enough to begin.

Call the surgery or use its online system; if you have no regular doctor, begin by registering with a practice, an inconvenience which ordinarily has to be endured only once. A preference for neither telephone nor website is understandable, though it is also an indication that the booking method has become an alibi.

State clearly that you wish to book an appointment and describe the concern in ordinary language. A diagnosis is neither expected nor required, and there is no need to apologise for using the time set aside for precisely this purpose.

If you are asked whether the matter is urgent, answer plainly. Say how long it has been present, whether it is worsening, and whether it interferes with sleep, work, eating, movement, or breathing. ‘This has been going on for a while and I would like it looked at’ is a perfectly adequate reason, and no further justification is required of you.

Some matters do not belong in the ordinary appointment queue. Chest pain, serious difficulty breathing, sudden weakness or confusion, severe bleeding, a sudden severe headache, or an immediate danger to yourself or another person requires urgent or emergency help. Local services differ; use the emergency number or urgent advice service where you live.

Attend the appointment, on time, with a clear idea of what you want to say. Write down your symptoms beforehand if you are likely to forget them in the room, which most people do, for doctors have limited time and you can assist them considerably by being specific.

Answer their questions honestly, all of them, including how much you drink, how often you exercise, and whether you have symptoms you have not mentioned. The doctor is assembling information. Give them the complete picture, not the version that makes you look controlled.

The appointment begins the work rather than completing it. Book a prescribed test, attend a referral, and make an advised change of habit with the same seriousness that finally carried you into the consulting room.