Encouraging patients to ask questions

The main advantage of using the Ask Me 3 approach is that patients have a concrete tool they can use to make sure they receive all necessary information from their healthcare provider.

However, there are also some drawbacks. One is that it is actually the healthcare provider’s responsibility to ensure that the person understands their situation and what they have to do – not the patient. In this video you can see how a healthcare professional can encourage his/her patient to ask questions.

The strategies that are used by the counselor in this video include:

• Asking open ended questions
• Using body language: sit at the same level, look and listen, taking the time
• Encourage questions multiple times during the consultation

After watching the video, please reflect on the following question:

How is enabling patients to ask questions empowering?