Tips for Talking with Your Healthcare Team

This video will provide you with tips from MSK patients and caregivers about talking with your healthcare team.

You'll receive a lot of information during your visit and throughout your care. This can be overwhelming. You may feel scared or anxious, and that's normal.

Bring a list of your questions and symptoms to your visit. This can help you remember what you want to ask and share how you've been feeling with your healthcare team.

If possible, bring a family member or friend with you to your visits, or have them join by phone. They might hear something that you missed and clarify the information.

If you need an interpreter, let your healthcare team know. They will make sure an interpreter is at your visit so you and your healthcare team can understand one another.

Take notes. You or your caregiver can bring a notebook to write down important information. You may not remember everything that was talked about, and you can review your notes later.

It's important that you and your healthcare team are clear about your diagnosis, treatment, and any other care options to best support you. To help with this, ask your doctor to explain the risks and benefits of the options they recommend.

To help make sure you understand the information your healthcare team provides, you may want to repeat to your doctor what you heard them say. They can clear up any misunderstandings or give you more information.

You can ask your doctor to show you images or drawings and tell you how tests are done. This is another way they can help explain medical information that may be hard to understand.

It's also helpful to have your team provide you with your treatment plan. This may include the name of your diagnosis, types of treatments, schedule, and next steps.

Talk to your team about any quality-of-life questions or concerns. You may want to know how you will feel, whether you will be able to work, and how your care may impact your daily activities.

You may also want to get a second opinion to help you make a decision that's right for you. Many patients do this.

Remember, all of your questions are important, and your team wants to answer them, so ask as many as you need to feel comfortable.

Always be open and honest with your healthcare team. Tell them what you want, what you need, and what you're worried about at any time during your care. This will help them get to know you and best care for you.

We hope you find these tips from MSK patients and caregivers helpful.