We are happy to make sure your questions get answered. Some questions you may have will require Dr. Donovan to see you and know more about your story and see you scalp up close. If you have questions prior to your visit, please address them directly to our team. Our team is experienced having worked together with Dr. Donovan and can answer the vast majority of general questions. If necessary, we will speak to Dr. Donovan and review any general medical questions with him that we can not answer. Please note that most medical related questions can not be answered without Dr. Donovan seeing the patient. Also, take note that Dr. Donovan is not permitted to give specific medical advice to any patient on any matter without first reviewing their history, blood tests and examining their hair loss. This is a strict policy of the office.
Examples of questions Dr. Donovan can not answer would include:
1. "I will be seeing Dr. Donovan in three months and my ferritin is 23. Should I start iron before I see him?"
COMMENT: This is a medical question. Dr. Donovan can not answer medical questions prior to an appointment. He would need to know more about your history. Although it might sound like a simple question, if you have certain medical conditions that Dr. Donovan does not know about, taking iron could be very harmful to you. Therefore Dr. Donovan can't advise without knowing your full details.
2. "My biopsy shows I have scarring alopecia, should I start a topical steroid before I see Dr. Donovan or will that interfere with his assessment?"
COMMENT: This is a medical question. Dr. Donovan can not answer medical questions prior to an appointment. Although it might sound like a simple question, if you have certain medical conditions that Dr. Donovan does not know about, using a topical steroid could be very harmful to you. Therefore Dr. Donovan can't advise without knowing your full details.
3. "Should I wash my hair on the day of my appointment or not?"
COMMENT: This is a general question. Our team can answer this for you. Please see our list of Frequently Asked Questions
4. "I'm wondering if Dr. Donovan will consider doing biopsy when I come see him. "
COMMENT: This is a medical question. Donovan can not answer medical questions prior to an appointment. Dr. Donovan will need to review your entire story and examine your scalp and review all your blood test before he can determine if you need a biopsy.
5. "I'm pregnant and wondering if I should wait to see Dr. Donovan after I deliver... or should I come now. "
COMMENT: This is a general question. We have a specific answer for all patients who are pregnant. Please contact our team.
5. "I would like to speak to Dr. Donovan before coming to my appointment to determine his views on anti-androgen use in women. Can we set up a call with Dr. Donovan and myself "
COMMENT: We do not set up telephone calls with Dr. Donovan in this scenario. This is a general question. We have a specific answer for all patients about anti-androgens. Please contact our team and we will provide you with the answer. If you are wondering specifically if anti androgens can be used in your specific situation, that would require Dr. Donovan to sit down with you to learn all about your story and examined your scalp up close and see your blood tests. Once you enquire specifically about your own health concerns, the question changes from a general question (that can be answered by our team) to a medical question (that can only be answered by Dr. Donovan through an appointment).
If you have questions prior to your visit, please direct them in one of the following four ways:
You can email your question to vancouveroffice@donovanmedical.com. We will respond within 2 business days. If necessary, we will speak to Dr. Donovan about one or more of your questions if we can't answer it.
You can phone us at 604.283.9299. It may be helpful to leave a message if we are helping another patient when you call.
You can fax your questions to 604.648.9003. Our team will review your question and either email you or fax you back (whichever you indicate on your fax).
You can mail your questions to:
Donovan Hair Clinic
750 West Broadway Street
Suite 905
Vancouver BC
V5Z 1H8
Dr. Donovan does not generally contact patients prior to their appointment. If necessary, he will do so only by letter mail. If you wish to have your questions read privately by Dr. Donovan only simply write "DR. DONOVAN PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL" on the first line of the envelope (above Donovan Hair Clinic). Please allow 4-6 weeks for a response from Dr. Donovan. Given the very large number of questions Dr. Donovan receives on a daily basis, replies will only be mailed if a patient already has an appointment booked in our system. Dr. Donovan regrets he is no longer able to reply to all questions sent to the office as it is not possible to keep up with the large volume of questions. When sending a note to Dr. Donovan, kindly note the following:
1. To ensure we receive your questions, please send via registered mail.
2. Only one reply is given from the doctor. Dr. Donovan does not engage in exchange of questions and answers (back and forth) by mail. This is a now a strict policy in the office. If you have questions in the future, they are to be sent to our office via steps 1, 2, 3 above. If you have questions about Dr. Donovan's answers to your questions, please bring them to your apportionment. If you choose to send us additional questions they will be placed in your chart fro review at your appointment.
3. Please limit your questions to no more than 5 questions. We regret that it is not uncommon to receive long letters with dozens of questions (50-100). Dr. Donovan would like to assist but it is not possible. Please state your questions CLEARLY and summarize the questions at the end of the letter as well (such as the following):
QUESTION 1: Does TSH in this range I have outlined generally have anything to do with hair loss?
QUESTION 2: Do most women find that topical spironolactone helps?
The following would be considered NOT appropriate (inappropriate) as a means of asking questions:
I have been using the cream consistently for 4 months and find I'm shedding more (...?coindence ? thoughts). Maybe it's just to early. I have been told it could take 6-7 months to see results (...do you agree with this?)
Please summarize your questions at the end of your letter very clearly stating QUESTION 1, QUESTION 2, QUESTION 3, QUESTION 4, QUESTION 5). You do not need to include 5 questions but only the first 5 will be answered.
4. Please allow 4-6 weeks for Dr. Donovan to reply. If you need to change your appointment on account of this delay please do so now.
5. Dr. Donovan does not answer medical questions by mail. Examples of what constitutes a medical question is given above. Please make sure your questions are of a general nature. Dr. Donovan can not answer specific medical questions without seeing a patient and reviewing all their details.
6. Dr. Donovan does not respond to patients prior to their appointment by any means EXCEPT letter mail.
If you wish to set up an appointment with Dr. Donovan via skype or phone prior to your appointment with him in Vancouver, this can be arranged. This is not common but may be appropriate for patients who are travelling long distances. Details on stetting up a remote consultation can be found in the following link
REMOTE CONSULTATION WITH DR. DONOVAN
We do not permit questions to be posed to the doctor in person prior to a booked appointment. For example, we regret that do not permit patients to pop into the office unannounced with questions. ("I was just passing by the area and wanted to come in to ask Dr. Donovan a question"). This is a strict policy and created to protect the privacy of patients in the office at that time. Please respect these policies by not coming into the office without an appointment.
Please address all questions via methods 1, 2, 3, 4 above.
