Communication skills for patients
Effective communication in healthcare is collaborative, requiring active engagement from healthcare workers and patients. While staff must listen and convey information clearly, it is also important for patients to participate by telling their story, asking questions and expressing their concerns. This two-way interaction builds rapport and enhances the quality of care by ensuring that treatment plans are tailored to individual values, beliefs and needs.
Prompt sheet
People who are seeing their healthcare worker often have questions and concerns. These can be forgotten during the conversation, only to be remembered later on. The purpose of this sheet is to help you get the information you want about your care and treatment during each and every conversation about your care.
Prompt sheet for patients (PDF, size 1.4 MB, 4 pages)
Shared decision making
Healthcare encounters offer a place and time for staff and patients to co-create care that fits each patient’s situation. Normally there are choices to make about healthcare. Evidence shows that using these three questions can help to improve the quality of information provided during your healthcare conversations.