When you have an appointment with a healthcare professional, you may need to make choices about your healthcare.  

If there are different treatment options available to you, your healthcare professional will share their expert opinion on the best option.

You know your personal circumstances best and so it’s important for you to ask questions and share how the options will affect you.

This is known as shared decision making.

Follow a patient's journey to find advice on how you can make the most of your healthcare appointment by working with your healthcare professional to make the right decision for you.

Preparing for your appointment

Before your appointment with a health and care professional, please consider the following questions:

  • What matters to me?
  • What is important to me?
  • What am I worried or concerned about?
  • You might also want to consider whether it would be helpful to have someone attend the appointment with you.

You know your personal circumstances best, so it’s important for you to ask questions and share how the options will affect you. Let the healthcare professional know about anything you are doing to manage your condition. Then, you and your healthcare professional can discuss your options and together, you can find the right choice for you.

A leaflet has been developed to help you before, during and after your healthcare appointment.

During the appointment, consider asking four simple questions:

  1. What are the benefits?
  2. What are the risks?
  3. What are the alternatives?
  4. What if I do nothing?

These questions are important because, alongside your health professional, it will help you gather the information you need to make a decision that is right for you.

You will also be able to understand what options are available for you and what the benefits and risks of these options are.

 

To help you make the most of your healthcare appointment, we have a leaflet you can use to help you.

Shared decision making

You might have heard or seen the term shared decision making.

Shared decision making puts the patient at the centre of decisions about their care and treatment. It is a collaborative process where a clinician, such as a GP or hospital consultant, supports a patient to reach a decision about their treatment.

A shared decision making conversation brings together:

  • The clinician’s expertise, such as treatment options, evidence, risks and benefits.
  • What the patient knows best, such as their preferences, personal circumstances, goals, values and beliefs.

  • The patient receiving care and those delivering care can understand what's important to the other person.
  • People feel supported and empowered to make informed choices and reach a shared decision about care.
  • Health and care professionals can tailor the care or treatment to the needs of the individual.

  • The care and support you receive should take into account your needs and preference.
  • You have the right to be involved in discussions, and make decisions about your treatment and care, together with your health or care professional.
  • Patient decision aids support conversations and help patients make informed choices. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed several tools to support shared decision making for specific conditions. These tools are available on the NICE website.

Hear from healthcare professionals in Birmingham and Solihull, as they share advice on how you can make most of your healthcare appointment.

Further information

Resources for healthcare professionals