When you phone for an appointment of a specialist medical practitioner, you have to go through a web of questions (relevant or irrelevant).Name, Date of   Birth, Address,  Phone  numbers –  Home, Cell, Email ID, Purpose of appointment, Social Security Number, Citizenship ID (Adhaar Card), Medical Insurance Information, etc.

In short, as if they are going to make your Life sketch.

Then you are advised: This is your first time visit, so please come 15 minutes earlier, Bring New Patient Information From downloaded from our Website duly filled in.

When you reach their clinic, you are given around 10/12 Forms to fill in. You find that on first page, the questions you already responded on phone while taking the appointment.

You then respond to Phone numbers information. Question: If we want to contact you for whatsoever reasons, which phone number should be used.

You mark Cell phone. Next Q: If you are not available on phone, whether the message can be left on Answering machine!

Next, your Job details. What job, Job phone number, Whether you can be contacted on Job phone.

Then, Insurance information – Yours or your spouse,  If spouse company,  then her/his date of birth, social security number, whether any other Insurance?

PTO.

So many names of diseases in very small letters for you to read and tick mark or write Yes /No. High/Low Blood pressure, Diabetes, Joints pain, Hyper Thyroid, High Chlorastrel, Heart diseases, Kidney problem, Hearing difficulties, etc.

You may have to google to find whether they are diseases!

And, also included whether any such diseases in your paternal or maternal side.

Next, information on Surgery, if any, whether Hospital stay during last six months, for what reasons; what medicines you take – prescribed, supplements-all these information in small space provided. Then, any allergy? Feel like writing “Yes” – Doctors’ allergy!!

It is like writing a thesis on yourself, to get Ph.D.

However, the surprise is nowhere in the Form, they ask your level of education.

Suresh Shah, Pathfinders Enterprise

My thoughts are inspired from a blog by Dhrutika,in a weekly journal published in India