We enjoy welcoming new patients to our clinic and want you to feel at home when you arrive. In our experience, having an idea of what to expect and how to prepare for an initial appointment can be a big help in that regard. Consequently, we’ve compiled a few tips and hints to help you prepare for your first appointment with one of our podiatrists.
#1 Make a list of your symptoms
At your first appointment, the treating podiatrist will usually need to ask you questions about your symptoms or reason for your visit. To get the most out of your appointment, write down all that you can about your symptoms so that you don’t forget to tell the podiatrist something that is important to you. This may include making a few note about:
- when your symptoms started
- what they feel like
- what makes your symptoms worse and what makes them better.
A good history will help your podiatrist streamline their examination as it makes it easier to identify the most essential tests for that visit. In addition, your description of your symptoms is also very useful from a diagnostic perspective as it helps to narrow down the potential options.
#2 Bring a list of any allergies, medical conditions and medications
To get the most out of your appointment time, we recommend arriving at least 5 – 10 minutes early to fill out any paperwork. Some of this paperwork will ask whether you have any allergies, medical conditions and medications. To avoid missing something important, it is a good idea to bring a current list with you.
At first glance, your overall health might not seem relevant to the health of your feet but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, did you know that conditions such as diabetes can increase your risk of foot complications such as infection, delayed healing and nerve damage? Furthermore, certain medications can have side effects such as leg pain and even ingrown toenails. Given that your diagnosis and treatment plan may be influenced by certain medical conditions and medications, it pays to share this information with your podiatrist and keep them updated if your health history changes.
#3 Speak up and ask questions
Your preferences, opinions, feedback and experiences matter to us! You should never feel afraid to ask your Podiatrist questions or to provide with us with honest feedback about any aspect of your care. Asking questions allows us to discuss the things that matter most to you when it comes to your condition and treatment options. This also applies if you have done some research (don’t be embarrassed if you’ve already consulted Dr Google). Let your podiatrist know your thoughts so that they can discuss them during your appointment and compare them to what they find during their assessment. Remember, when it comes to your health, there is no such thing as a silly question. So speak up!
#4 Wear comfortable clothes
If possible, try to wear clothes that you feel comfortable in and will allow your Podiatrist to assess as far as your knees. Pants that you can roll up are particularly handy if you can’t wear shorts. Prefer to wear skirts or dresses? Feel free to throw on pair of bike pants underneath if you want, just in case your podiatrist needs to assess the range of motion of your legs.
If you’re coming straight from work or forgot to bring a change of clothes – don’t stress! Our Podiatrists will do their very best to ensure you feel comfortable.
#5 Bring shoes, relevant scans, paperwork (especially referrals)
If you’re seeing one of our podiatrists due to foot or leg pain, we usually suggest bringing two pairs of your most commonly worn pairs of shoes (e.g. work shoes, runners, school shoes) to your appointment for in case your Podiatrist needs to assess them. You are welcome to bring more than two however, due to the complexity of some biomechanical assessments it isn’t always possible to assess several pairs of shoes at the first visit. Instead, the aim of the footwear assessment at the first appointment is to review a representative sample of your footwear preferences as part of the diagnostic process.
It is also helpful if you bring any scans, reports or referrals that are relevant to your injury or symptoms. This saves us sending you for any unnecessary scans and often provides a useful head start for the podiatrist.
A note about referrals & private health insurance
You don’t need to have a referral to see a podiatrist in a private practice such as ours. In fact, most people find that they can claim from their private health insurance extras cover without a referral, but it may be worth checking with your specific fund if you haven’t used your extras cover before or have recently changed your level of cover.
You will need to bring a valid referral if you‘ll be claiming benefits from a third party such as DVA or WorkCover. For more information about referrals, please contact us.
Still have questions?
Hopefully these tips provide a good starting point to prepare for your first appointment. However, if you have any questions about your appointment, please feel free to give us a call.
We look forward to meeting you soon!
