Built by the HF Community for Those Living With HF
DEVELOPED WITH PATIENTS, PATIENT ORGANISATIONS, AND
CARE PARTNERS FOR THOSE LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE
Discussions with your doctor
You and your doctor are partners on your heart health journey
Having a positive, open relationship with your doctor can make a huge difference in managing your heart failure and may help you and your care partner feel more in control of your health. When you feel free to ask questions, big or small, you’re more prepared to recognise and adjust to any changes that may occur during your heart journey.
Here are some suggested questions that can help you actively begin a discussion with your doctor. You or your care partner should bring these questions to your next appointment, along with a journal to record the answers, as well as a list of all the current medications you are taking.
Questions for your next doctor’s visit
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At diagnosis
- What is heart failure?
- What can I and my care partner expect over the next few weeks, months, and years?
- Can I still work, play golf, have sex, or do the laundry? (Ask about any other activity you’re wondering about)
- Be sure to talk to your doctor about your treatment options and which treatments might be best for you
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Treatment
- Are there drugs available that are specifically designed to help treat my kind of heart failure?
- What should I do if I miss a dose?
- I take several medications each day. Do you have any tips to help me stay on schedule and take the right doses? (Be sure to bring a list of all the medication—prescription and nonprescription—you are currently taking.)
- What if my health insurance plan doesn’t cover the medication you prescribed for me? What’s our next step?
- Be sure to ask questions about other things you can do to help manage heart failure.
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Living with heart failure
- What are the most important things my family and I can do to manage this condition?
- How have your other patients helped motivate themselves to eat better, exercise, stop smoking, and make other lifestyle changes?
- Are there any cardiac programs you would recommend to me?
- One of my medications (tell your doctor which one) is causing side effects that are hard to deal with. Can you help improve or reduce those side effects? Is there a different medication I can try instead?
- Are there any symptoms I should be paying special attention to? What should I do if any symptom gets worse or changes suddenly?
- What is the normal range for my weight and blood pressure? What should I do if I am getting above or below that range?
- Are there any community support programs, groups, or patient associations where I can meet other people like me?
I connected with the cardiologist and we have a great relationship. Whatever doubt comes up, he helps me."
Downloadable doctor visit worksheet
We know how stressful it can be when you are trying to keep track of questions you want to remember to ask your doctor while also trying to note your blood pressure, weight changes, and symptoms accurately. This guide keeps all these things in mind and provides you with that one central location to gather all your information for your first and future follow-up visits.
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