Remember your appointment is dedicated time to talk about you, your body, and your health. Below we have provided some tips to help you make sure that you ask useful questions and can understand your doctor’s answers.
- Take notes during your appointment to help remind yourself of what your doctor has told you. If you take somebody with you, they can also take notes
- If you can, ask your doctor for their name, role, and contact information in case you have any questions after your appointment
- If your doctor allows it, you may want to record your visit
- Don’t be afraid of asking your doctor or healthcare team to repeat themselves. If you don’t understand what they are saying, tell them this, and they can try to rephrase in a way in which you understand
- Try repeating things back to your doctor. For example, start your sentences with ‘So you mean I should…’ This can help clarify what is being said so you remember it later
If you are getting the results from a recent scan, then some of the below questions might be helpful:
- How do the results of this scan/test compare to my last one?
- What does this mean for me?
- Has my treatment had an effect on my cancer?
- Are these the kinds of results you would expect for somebody like me, given my diagnosis and cancer stage?
- What are my next treatment steps based on these results?
- Are any parts of the scan/test unclear? Would an additional scan/test provide more information?
- Will there be any follow-up tests from this?
- Do these results mean that I need to change any medications I am taking?
- Should I make any lifestyle changes based on these results?
- Can I check that I’ve understood what you’ve said? My understanding is that…
- Can I have a copy of these results, or a letter summarising them?
- Will these results (and any implications of them) be shared with my PCP/GP/family doctor?
- When will I need another scan/test?
- If I have follow-up questions after today, whom can I contact?
- Can you recommend any other groups or organisations if I need more support around these results later?