Benefits and considerations

In order for a new patient resource to be successfully introduced into everyday practice, there must be benefits to its use and it must not cause unnecessary burden on healthcare professionals.

There are potential benefits of using the guide:

Empowering patients to be active in shared decision making
To help reduce the ‘doorknob effect’ – that is, when patients remember something important as they are about to leave the consultation room
Make the most of the consultation time for both patients and healthcare professionals
Potential to involve patients actively to be part of the safety net for their own care
Useful for informal carers who co-ordinate care from multiple care providers

Things to consider when using the guide with patients:

The guide is a tool for patients, but you are able to use it with them in many different ways. For instance, it can be useful to ask patients to prioritise issues before a consultation, or to prepare questions that they often forget to ask.

You may want to encourage patients to write down the main points from their consultation in the relevant forms after they get home. They will then have a reminder of what was discussed and what they can expect in terms of future treatment or tests.

Disclaimer: This guide is not a replacement for the patient’s medical record or formal care plans.

Personal details & medical conditions

Personal details &
medical conditions