Diabetes patients should visit their doctor three or four times a year depending on the treatment plan. When you return, your doctor and other members of the healthcare team will perform an exam, take a medical history, run lab tests, and fine-tune the treatment program. These later visits are not as in-depth as the first visit, though patients are recommended to complete a physical exam once a year.
The following checklist will help you make sure your healthcare team performed a thorough job at your follow-up visits. Did your healthcare team:
- Ask to see your blood glucose records?
- Ask what adjustments you’ve made to your diabetes care plan?
- Ask what problems you’ve had in following your diabetes care plan?
- Ask about times you’ve had high or low blood glucose levels?
- Ask about symptoms that might indicate you are developing a diabetes complication?
- Ask what other illnesses you had since your last visit?
- Ask what medicines you are taking now?
- Ask if your life has changed in any way?
- Measure your weight and blood pressure?
- Look in your eyes?
- Look at your feet?
- Take blood for a glycohemoglobin test?
- Take a urine sample to look for protein and infection?