After viewing a cute ad, I went to the AHRQ homepage. The agency gives a nice list of 10 recommended questions you should ask your doctor. Additional questions directly pertaining to specific types of care are also available.
- What is the test for?
- How many times have you done this?
- When will I get the results?
- Why do I need this surgery?
- Are there any alternatives to surgery?
- What are the possible complications?
- Which hospital is best for my needs?
- How do you spell the name of that drug?
- Are there any side effects?
- Will this medicine interact with medicines that I’m already taking?
I recommend asking for alternate names for medication. As most have more than one, and all seem to be coined by the last surviving speaker of Hittite.