Talking to your Healthcare Team

I cannot stress enough the importance of talking to the healthcare team. I realize doing this can be intimidating, but it is important to your health and healthcare.

When I was a patient being treated for a Brain Tumor in 2014,  I felt intimidated when the doctors made rounds, and everyone circled my bed and talked about me, and I  had been a nurse for over 40 years! However, I knew how important my input was to my care. During the early stages of my journey, I could not talk for myself, so my husband was my advocate. He asked questions and shared information on my health with the team. As I improved, I became a very active patient and got involved in every aspect of my care plan. I knew I had to do this - to make sure I received the care I needed to help me recover.

Here are some tips to help you feel more comfortable when talking or asking questions with your healthcare team.

• Know that no question is too trivial. If it is on your mind, speak up.
• Know that you should get an answer to every question you have. Keep asking till you get an answer that you understand. It may take several explanations, especially if your condition is complex. Your team will do this - but sometimes you need to pin them down.
• Know everything that is being done to and for you by every healthcare team member. Do not be afraid to ask why a test is being done. Will it make a difference in your care? You have a right to know and to understand everything being done. Mistakes happen - so asking questions makes people think, and check things out which can prevent an error!
• Be prepared - make a list of questions you want to ask. Share them with the team so they know your questions.
• Your questions are important. Even the smallest detail might hit on a detail or issue the doctors have yet to consider. So speaking up can help your team better care for you.
• If a team member doesn’t have time to answer your questions during an appointment or while making rounds in the hospital, find out when they can return to finish the conversation. Everyone knows how busy the healthcare team is, but they will make time for you if you ask.
• Remember you are the most important person on the team. Remind your team of this if you get pushback. Be respectful, but don’t give up because you feel you are holding them back.
• As I have mentioned in previous posts, consider asking your spouse, your son or daughter, a friend, or a paid advocate to be with you when you go to the doctor or are in the hospital. Doing so gives you the moral courage you need to advocate for yourself.
• Review the questions you want to discuss with the person who goes with you so they can remind you if you forget or don't ask the questions on your list. Give your advocate a copy of the questions so they can follow along with the conversation and help you if you get stuck.
• If you can, take notes on what the doctor or health care provider says. If you don't feel like you can do this - ask the person who goes with you to take notes. Doing this allows you to review the conversation after the discussion and help you put things into perspective.
• Learn how to access your medical records from your patient portal to keep track of test results, appointments with various doctors, the plan of care, and medications as you prepare for your appointments with your team.
• Keep a folder or a binder with all of your important information in a binder, and bring it with you to all of your appointments. Things like a list of your doctors, the medications you are on, and the ones you stopped so the team knows what was tried. If you pull your lab results or diagnostic tests off your patient portal, put them in your binder. At times, a doctor might not have looked at a test or blood work, so having a copy in your binder will allow you to share the information so they can be up to date and answer your questions.
• Ask the doctors and other team members about their preferred communication method. Your team members might want to talk off hours when they have more time, so knowing this will help you and them plan when to talk.
• Think of your doctors, nurses, and others as part of your team. You are all on the same side, and you are the most important member of the team. Each team member wants you to do well, so it is essential for them to help you understand the care plan. The more you know and participate in your care, the better we all are.
• Your team members are not mind readers, so bringing up what is on your mind is important.
• Your team is in place to help you cope, understand your diagnosis, and set realistic expectations, as well as your plan of care, is part of the process. The more you tell them, the more they can help you.
• Let the team get to know you as a person. Tell your team who you are, what you did/do in your work, about your family, and how important it is for you to get better for them. Letting the team know about you as a person helps to humanize you to the team and allows them to see you as a person – not just a patient.

I hope the post provides the information you and your family can use to help you be the best advocate you can be when you are involved in the complex healthcare system. If you have any questions or comments on tips, you used to talk to members of your healthcare team!

Thanks for reading. Stay well!