NHS doctor reveals 3 questions to ask your GP if you feel you're being dismissed
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An NHS doctor has urged people to ask their GP three specific questions if they feel their medical concerns are being “dismissed”. According to the expert, there are steps we can all take to ensure we feel properly heard. His advice comes as a 2024 survey of almost 2,000 Brits found that two-fifths of patients said they leave their GP appointment without discussing everything that is worrying them about their health. The poll showed that while 51 percent of people said they were able to talk about “everything” or “most things” they wanted to raise the last time they saw a GP, 40 percent were only able to discuss “some things”, “hardly anything” or “nothing at all”.
Doctor Karan Rajan, who is best known online as Dr Raj, took to social media platform TikTok to explain more. Speaking to his more than five million followers, he said: “If you feel that your doctor ignores your concerns and undermines your symptoms, here is how to advocate for your health.”.
This includes asking follow up questions, even if they may feel “awkward”. He continued: “Ask questions, even the awkward ones. “Doctors are trained to think critically but a lot of the time they're working on autopilot. Asking questions forces them to slow down and engage with your concerns.”.
He shared three questions you could try asking for this purpose:. Alongside asking questions, he shared four other ways to make sure your health issues are taken seriously. Dr Raj advocated for keeping track of all the symptoms you experience to then present to your GP. “Keep a detailed record of your symptoms when they occur, how severe they are, what makes them better or worse and how they impact your daily life,” he said.
