When patients seek a new diagnosis, they often face an overwhelming amount of information that's hard to process. Research shows that asking questions during appointments can improve patient's understanding, treatment adherence, and health outcomes. But with so many questions out there, how do we know which are the right ones to ask? I had the privilege of leading this paper focused on identifying the questions patients are recommended to ask throughout their diagnostic journey—from their first encounter with the healthcare system to testing and treatment planning. While not surprising, the findings highlight the disconnect between the current recommendations (e.g., patients asking 100 questions in an appointment and challenging provider assumptions) and what is realistic (e.g., appointment time constraints and lack of psychological safety for patients to speak up and ask the hard questions). This project was especially meaningful to me, as it aligns with my core research interest: exploring how patient-care team communication impacts patient safety, specifically diagnostic safety. I look forward to the next steps in this work and will keep you all updated as we go. Thanks to the amazing team that worked on this with me and to Kelly Smith for mentoring me throughout the project. 😊 Helen Haskell Bill Gallagher Kelley Baker Kristen Miller Kimia Sedig #PatientSafety #Diagnosis #Healthcare #MedicalResearch #CommunicationInHealthcare #HealthcareInnovation
Inaugural Michael Garron Chair in Patient Oriented Research at Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto East General Hospital) Associate Professor at Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, IHPME
We often suggest that to improve #patientsafety, patients, family members, and care partners should "Speak up" and "Ask Questions". But what should we ask to improve #Diagnosis safety and how realistic is it for patients in our current healthcare reality? A new article from our Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Learning Laboratory and our Patient-Partnered Diagnostic Center of Excellence details the promise and burden of questions along the The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine diagnostic process. Spoiler alert - asking questions may be more work as imagined rather than work as performed with resources for patients having between 3 to more than 100 questions to ask during their clinical encounters. Kristen Miller Mary Hill Kelley Baker Bill Gallagher Helen Haskell Kimia Sedig
Healthcare Leadership Consultant & Facilitator | Expert in Psychological Safety, Cognitive Diversity, & Motivation | Shaping Teams into High Performing & Resilient Units
3moPatient communication is critical, yet often overlooked. Expecting patients to ask 100 questions in a single appointment without addressing the psychological safety gap is setting them up to fail. Time constraints aside, if patients don’t feel safe or empowered to speak up, the disconnect will persist. It's time we shift focus to creating environments where patients, across all demographics, feel comfortable challenging assumptions and asking meaningful questions. Thank you for your work.