When your support person can’t make it to the room
Sometimes the person you’d normally bring to an appointment — an adult child who lives out of town, a spouse who can’t get off work, a friend without childcare — can’t be there in person, but you’d still like their help. If you’re physically at the clinic and just want them reachable by phone or video for part of the conversation, that’s a different setup than a full telehealth visit, and it’s worth checking with the office ahead of time rather than assuming it’s allowed.
What to check before the appointment
- Call the office ahead of time and ask whether they allow a support person to join by phone or video call for part of an in-person visit, and what you’d need to set up.
- Ask if there’s a point in the visit — for example, after any physical exam — when a call would work best.
- Confirm your support person’s number and make sure your phone is charged and has signal at the clinic.
- Decide together, before the call, what you want them to help with — taking notes, remembering your prepared questions, or simply being an extra set of ears.
How this is different from a full telehealth visit
A telehealth visit is one where you and your clinician connect remotely instead of meeting in person. This is the opposite arrangement: you attend in person, and only your support person joins remotely for part of the conversation. Because you’re in the room, the same privacy considerations that apply to any companion — in-person or remote — still apply. If your visit involves an examination or a conversation you’d rather keep private, you can ask your support person to stay on hold or call back in after that portion.
During the call
- Let the front desk or your clinician know at check-in that a support person will be joining by phone, so they aren’t caught off guard.
- Introduce your support person to your clinician at the start of the call so everyone knows who’s on the line and why.
- Use your prepared question list. AHRQ’s patient-engagement guidance recommends writing down your questions before the visit and asking questions during the appointment until you understand what you’re being told — having a support person on the line to help track both still works the same way it would if they were in the room.
- Ask your support person to take notes, especially on anything you’re told to do next, since verbal instructions are easy to lose track of once the call ends.
A short prep checklist
Adapted from NIA’s and AHRQ’s printable appointment worksheets:
- Support person’s number, confirmed working: ______________________
- Best point in the visit for them to call in: ______________________
- Top questions for this visit: ______________________
- Current medicines to mention (prescription, over-the-counter, vitamins, supplements): ______________________
- What my support person should write down: diagnosis or test name / next steps / follow-up date
What this guide doesn’t cover
This page is about the logistics of including a remote support person during an in-person visit. If your support person will be with you physically in the room, see our guide on bringing a support person to a visit respectfully. If your question is about privacy during a physical exam specifically — including asking for a chaperone — see asking for an examination chaperone and privacy questions before a visit. This article does not cover legal healthcare power of attorney or formal medical decision-making authority for someone who can’t communicate for themselves — talk with your clinic’s patient services office about the specific forms they use for that.
This article is for general educational purposes and does not replace advice from your doctor or other qualified health provider. If you have questions about your specific medical situation, talk with your clinician or the patient services office at your provider’s practice.
By Better Health Questions Editorial Team. Sources: National Institute on Aging, “Talking With Your Doctor Worksheets”; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, “The 10 Questions You Should Know” and “Be More Engaged in Your Healthcare.” Last updated September 22, 2026.