Health questions

If you have health questions, often asking them when you go for your doctor’s visit is the best place to get the information you require. However, most people with heath questions often want to know the answers to find if they have to go to the doctor or should simply nurse that runny nose or fever at home. This means they need a different source of information.

Some plans offer a telephone consultation with the doctor. If you have a health insurance plan that does this, then that’s the best possible way to find answers. The health consultation by phone gives you the opportunity to ask necessary questions and get sound information regarding your health symptoms and condition. It can make the difference whether you forge out in bad weather and make your illness worse or simply stay home and nurse that cold with rest and hot soup.

The telephone consultation is one of the newer methods offered by some health plans. In the past, doctors often responded to phone calls at the end of the day. That’s because they didn’t receive pay for their time and even though they responded, waited until the most convenient time for their needs. Today the doctor’s office schedules a telephone appointment at a specific time so you don’t have to stay awake all day hoping the doctor calls. The doctor receives compensation for his time so you have his attention. He’s more likely to give you at home remedies rather than offer the quick solution of bed rest and aspirin.

Another place you can find answers to health questions is on the Internet. You have to be careful about the site’s you use and triple check the answers. Sometimes ill-informed writers take on a problem they don’t understand and offer inaccurate advice. The next writer then uses their information for an article and misinformation spreads. Check for similar wording when comparing information. If you find that too much of the article looks like another, don’t use it as a second source of information, since it probably used the article as its source of information.

Find reputable sources such as government agencies, medical sites or health organizations before you settle on the right answer. It’s a matter of gleaning through a lot of information but well worth it if you want the right answer.

You can also direct health questions to telephone organizations such as Ask-a-Nurse that offer free medical information via the telephone. While these organizations won’t prescribe medication or make a diagnosis, they can offer important advice such as when to visit a doctor or if your condition will simply go away in a few days. Some may also suggest you call back if you don’t have relief from symptoms in a specific amount of time.

You can secure health information for simple, non-life threatening illnesses and accidents from neighbors and friends. Often a parent or older person that experienced similar symptoms can help you through steps for simple abrasions, colds or even the minor sore throats or the flu. However, if the suggestions don’t work within a few days, seek the attention of a medical professional.

If you don’t have a regular doctor, there are urgent care clinics around the country that offer immediate care without the expense of an emergency room visit. This is another place you can find medical information. If the health information you received from the Internet, phone health advisor or friend has not relieved your symptoms and you have no family doctor, an urgent care clinic is the most cost effective next step.

Health questions