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Medical Author:

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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What Are the Potential Barriers for Patients Providing Adequate Medical Information for a Doctor?

In ideal situations, a patient will be able to answer these questions to the doctor during the visit. However, very often, many of these questions are left unanswered or incorrectly answered. Some of the common reasons for inadequate patient-doctor communication are the following:

• Stress and anxiety of an emergency situation
  
  
• Nervousness about seeing a new doctor



• Unresponsiveness or unconsciousness



• Being too ill or confused to communicate effectively



• Patient's or doctor's time constraints



• Not knowing the correct information about medical diseases or medications



• Being without relatives or caregivers who can provide or assist with the information
  
  
• Language barrier
  
  
• Not remembering all of the medical history or not knowing what part of past medical history may be important to the doctor