If you need to be seen by your doctor for an annual exam, vaccinations, or a minor injury, you may be concerned about coming into contact with other patients who are highly contagious. Use the following tips to protect yourself while waiting to be seen by your doctor.

Schedule An Office Visit For The Morning

Office visits that take place at the beginning of the day may result in fewer patients waiting in the reception area. As the day moves forward, more timeslots may become available and a waiting room could become filled with walk-ins and patients who have prescheduled their appointments.

Although it may seem a bit like an inconvenience to need to attend an early morning appointment, you may ultimately think otherwise. You will get your appointment out of the way at the start of your day and will be able to handle all of your other responsibilities, without needing to disrupt them.

Seek A Seat In The 'Healthy' Waiting Area

A lot of medical offices feature a 'healthy' waiting area and a 'sick' waiting area. Splitting up the waiting areas like this will ensure that healthy patients do not come into close contact with anyone who may be potentially contagious.

When you schedule your doctor's appointment, request information about the waiting sections that are reserved for patients. You can also perform this step when you check in with the receptionist who is manning the front of the doctor's office. Remain seated for the duration of the wait to minimize coming into close contact with other people who are waiting.

Make A Virtual Visit Or Combat Yourself With Protective Aids

If you have decided to see your doctor due to some concerns that you have about an allergy or a minor ailment, it may serve you best to schedule a virtual visit. A virtual visit is an online visit that will allow you to interact with a medical practitioner in real-time. You and your doctor can participate in a face-to-face discussion. If you need to have a prescription refilled, your doctor can handle this request via a video platform.

Any other medical concerns or needs that will require testing or examination procedures will need to be conducted in person. To protect yourself to the best of your ability, bring hand sanitizer and a face mask with you. Keep a mask over your face while seated in your doctor's waiting area. Use a hand sanitizer to kill germs on your hands. 

Contact a local doctor's office for more info.