DH - Questions to ask – to help everyone get the best out of their appointment.

"Questions to ask" – previously named "Power Questions" - has been developed by the Department of Health to help everyone get the best out of their appointment.

Extract from DH…
We know that shared decision making between patients and professionals can make a lasting and significant different to healthcare outcomes.  Receiving and understanding the right information during an appointment is key to involving people in decisions about their treatment and care. “Questions to ask" supports this involvement by helping people with general questions during a consultation, such as "Are there any side effects or risks?" and "How will I know if the treatment is working?"

The questions and tips in "Questions to ask" were developed through an extensive consultation which gathered the views of more than 200 patients and professionals. They were asked about the content, style and format, and their views shaped the final version of "Questions to ask". The outreach consultation also sought the views of people who face the biggest challenges in accessing and understanding consultations, including people for whom English is a second language, residents of care homes and the homeless.
"Questions to ask"  is now available in a number of formats, posters, easy read, large print, audio, braille and a two-sided A5 leaflet, with GP surgeries and pharmacies receiving  copies of the leaflets and posters by the end of October 2007. Translations of the leaflet are available in Arabic, Bengali, French, Gujarati, Somali, Portuguese, Polish, Punjabi, Spanish and Urdu.

Hard copies of all formats may be ordered free of charge(see our "Ordering publications" page), using the product codes:

• 279234: leaflet in English
• 279234/AU: audio
• 279234/BR: braille
• 279234/ER: easy read
• 279234/LP: large print

• Main Site: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_079531
• Tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/2msj82

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