A routine appointment may begin with a question, a fear of illness or a wish to look after your health more carefully. I see teenagers, adults and older adults, for prevention as well as new or established health problems.
Every appointment has a reason behind it
That is a useful starting point for a routine appointment or check-up. Exploring those reasons often offers more than the tests themselves. Routine appointments are a good time to look beyond generic test requests: they can support or make room for change, through a shared plan that reflects each person’s values.
That means understanding your medical history, the medicines you take, illnesses in your family and your concerns. It is just as important to understand the person at the appointment: work, food, movement, sexuality and mental health, according to what matters to you.
Prevention and tests
It is common to expect a battery of blood tests to find any illness in time to prevent it. In practice, every test has indications and limits. Reviewing vaccinations and choosing screening tests need to take age, medical history and health conditions into account.
Too many tests can also cause problems: false alarms, further investigations and even treatment for findings that would never have caused harm. During the appointment, I try to understand your expectations and share what seems worthwhile, what offers little help and what is better left undone. With those nuances in mind, we can decide together.
Care over time
One of the foundations of Family Medicine is continuity: having a professional you can turn to over time. With each appointment, knowledge of your story builds, the relationship matures and trust grows. That helps identify changes and make decisions with more context.
Part of this work happens between appointments. You can expect reminders, brief messages to help coordinate your care and a record of what was discussed and of previous tests. If another professional needs to be involved, I stay involved too.