A FIRST-VISIT HANDOUT
Your first visit
Thank you for choosing ABC Family Practice for your health care needs. During your first visit, you will meet our staff, complete a few brief forms and, of course, meet your doctor. As family physicians, we will try to solve your current medical problem and detect or prevent other health problems. We hope to make the first visit not just an opportunity to deal with any medical concerns you may have but also a time to get acquainted with you.
The first examination
When you enter the exam room, you will be asked to fill out a health questionnaire by a staff member, and he or she will measure your height and weight and take your temperature. Your physician will review the health questionnaire with you. Depending on your medical problem, you may be asked to undress and put on a gown in the privacy of the exam room. This enables the doctor to better evaluate your health. After the examination, your physician will suggest a treatment plan and future visits, if necessary.
We hope that after your visit you will feel confident that you’ve made a wise decision by choosing our practice. If you are not comfortable with one doctor’s practice style, you may reschedule your next appointment with another doctor in our practice.
Respectfully,
ABC Family Practice
Our physicians
Dr. A is board certified in family practice with a certificate of added qualification in geriatric medicine. He is the founder and senior physician in the practice and is a no-nonsense, straightforward individual who leads by example. Outside the office, you’re likely to find him coaching children’s sports in our community.
Dr. B is board certified in family practice and also has a certificate of added qualification in geriatric medicine. He is the intellectual of our practice and is chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at our hospital. We are all proud of Dr. B for serving our country during Desert Storm.
Dr. C is board certified in family practice and also has a certificate of added qualification in geriatric medicine. She is a working mother with two children and offers patients the warmth and grace that only a mother can provide.
Developed by Sloan Robinson, MD, and Joseph A. Lieberman III, MD, MPH. Copyright 1998 American Academy of Family Physicians. Physicians may adapt for use in their own practices; all other rights reserved. Robinson S, Lieberman JA. Reducing new patients’ anxiety during the first visit.Fam Pract Manag. February 1998:54-61;
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