How Well Do You Communicate With Your Doctor?

You deserve top-notch medical care, but with doctors' appointments growing shorter and shorter it's not always easy to get it. That's where stellar communication comes in: How well you convey your symptoms, concerns, medical history and so on can mean the difference between getting first-rate care and spotty assessments and treatments. "Many people aren't comfortable speaking candidly to their health-care providers, often because they feel vulnerable or intimidated," says Davis Liu, M.D., a family physician in Sacramento and author of Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely: Making Intelligent Choices in America's Healthcare System. "But it's important to talk openly with your doctor about your health issues, in order to get the best possible treatment and outcome." To find out how well you fare in the doctor-patient communication department, take this quiz.

By Stacey Colino

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