PatientsLikeMe
Good Care Checklist
PatientsLikeMe
members recently shared what it means to get “good” health care. After
analyzing more
than 1,200 responses from
over
200 participants,
we made a list of the 10 major factors that
define
good care.
How
many of these are true about the care that you're receiving?
Active
patient role in care
YES/NO
Do
you feel informed about your care?
YES/NO
Do
you understand your diagnosis?
YES/NO
Do
you understand your treatment options?
YES/NO
Do
you play an active role in the de
cision
-
making
process?
Effective
treatment selection
YES/NO
Do
you believe the care you receive is appropriate for your medical problems?
YES/NO
Do
you believe that your safety is a top priority?
YES/NO
Do
you feel that you're receiving any unnecessary treatment?
Collaborative
care
YES/NO
Do
you see that your medical care preferences are taken into account by your
provider
?
YES/NO
Do
you receive adequate explanations about your diagnosis, treatment options,
prognosis
and any possible side ef
fects?
YES/NO
Do
you feel that your provider takes the whole person (physical, emotional,
social)
into
account when delivering
care?
YES/NO
Do
you believe that your provider values your opinion?
Doctor
or provider competence
YES/NO
Do
you believe that your provider fully understands your condition or medical
problem(s)?
YES/NO
Do
you believe that your provider offers a medication prescription that is
effective
?
YES/NO
Do
you believe that your provider is up to date on the latest research related to
your
medical problem?
Focus
on outcomes
YES/NO
Do
you think that your condition is improving
as a result of treatment?
YES/NO
Do
you think that your treatment is improving your everyday life?
YES/NO
Do
you prepare yourself with questions prior to any medical appointments?
Effective
treatment delivery
YES/NO
Do
you view your provider as being prepared for your appointments?
YES/NO
Do
you view your provider as offering enough time for appointments?
YES/NO
Do
you receive followups
from your provider after appointments?
Individualized
and empathetic care
YES/NO
Do
you believe that your provider listens to you and your opinions?
YES/NO
Do
you believe that your provider cares about you as a person?
Effective
staff communication
YES/NO
Do
you believe that your medical team members communicate well with each other?
YES/NO
Do
you receive return calls from medical staff?
YES/NO
Do
you receive sufficient attention from staff if you call between visits?
Care
accessibility and cost
YES/NO
Do
you have easy access to the office where you receive treatment?
YES/NO
Do
you think that your care is affordable?
YES/NO
Do
you think that your care is sufficiently covered by insurance?
Office management
Do
you view the medical office staff as being well organized?
YES/NO
Do
you receive reminders for your medical appointments?
YES/NO
Do
you feel that your provider's office coordinates care effectively with your
insurance
company?
YES/NO
Not
quite hitting the mark?
YES/NO
If
you think your health care might not be as good as you’d like it to be, here
are a few things you can
do:
•
Have
an open
and
honest conversation with your doctor
•
Make
sure you have a voice in setting goals for treatment
•
Write
down questions before your appointment
•
Take
notes (or bring a buddy) to appointments
•
If
you have a patient portal, check your medical results and docto
r’s
notes
•
Check
in with others in the PatientsLikeMe forum and learn how people like you are
getting
good
care
Join
the conversation at
www.patientslikeme.com
