Your doctor is your first line of help when you get sick or injured. But if you don’t have a doctor that you feel like you know or trust, you might be hesitant to reach out to them when you need something. Or, if you’ve had a bad experience with a doctor in the past, you might feel like you don’t trust doctors in general now.

Regardless of this, if you ever do need medical help, you’re going to have to visit your doctor. And to ensure that you get the help that you need, it can be very beneficial to have a good rapport and relationship with this doctor. To help you get to this point, here are three tips for developing a helpful relationship with your doctor.

Come Prepared To Your Appointments

When you have an appointment to see your doctor, one of the best things you can do is to come to that appointment prepared.

As part of this preparation, you should know exactly what you want to speak to your doctor about. Ideally, your doctor should listen to what you’re saying and ask questions so that they can give you the right diagnosis. Additionally, you should have some questions ready so that you can clarify anything the doctor told you or is requesting of you.

Ask How To Best Stay In Contact

Depending on your doctor, their preferred method of communicating with their patients will vary.

For some, calling into the office and leaving a message might be the best option. For others, sending an email or message through their online portal might be ideal. So if you want to be sure that you’ll be able to reach out to your doctor whenever you need and get a response in a timely manner, make sure you ask them how it’s best to stay in contact with them, especially if it’s after hours or on the weekend.

Be Honest And Respectful

The vast majority of doctors really do want to help you be happy and healthy. However, this can only be done if your doctor knows exactly what’s going on with you.

Knowing this, it’s crucial that you are truthful and honest with your doctor at all times. This way, they can give you the best possible advice for your issues. Along with this, you should also try to remain respectful when speaking with your doctor. Though you might be frustrated, lashing out at your doctor isn’t likely to help you have a better outcome. In fact, being rude or disrespectful can wind up making this harder between your doctor and yourself.

If you want to have a better relationship with your doctor, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you achieve this.