Tip of the day: How to handle a chatty M.D.

What’s up, doc?” may be the wrong question to ask your physician during an office visit. A recent study suggests that doctors already share too much personal information with patients. And while many do so to put patients at ease, it can actually be counterproductive. Researchers had actors pretend to be patients and secretly record visits with 100 doctors. Thirty-four percent of the time doctors chatted away about personal topics such as their own health or families. But 11 percent of those disclosures were deemed disruptive, and 85 percent were considered useless.

Since office visits are often too short to squander, get the most out of your time by writing out questions beforehand and prioritizing the three or four you want to talk about most. If you can’t get through the list, ask if you can follow up with e-mail.