Once you’ve taken the first step and found what really matters to you, it’s time to discuss these priorities with your healthcare team. This could help you work together to find a care plan to suit you, because we know you’re not done living well with MM.
Clear communication between patients and healthcare professionals before and during treatment may lead to increased satisfaction with the treatment decision.1 People who have good communication with their healthcare team have seen improvements in:2
Getting the conversation started
Your appointment may be for a set amount of time, but there are things you can do to make the most of the time you have. This starts with taking the list of priorities you identified earlier. The more you and your doctor really communicate, the higher the chance you’ll feel better about your situation.3
Think about ways your priorities might affect what treatment you’re offered by your doctor. Try to be up front and clear about what your thoughts are and ask questions if you need more information. Here are some questions to help get you started thinking about what priorities you want to talk to your doctor about:
- Do you have any questions about your disease management priorities?
- Do you have any questions about your family priorities?
- Do you have any questions about your lifestyle priorities?
References
- Janssens R, et al. Frontiers in Medicine 2021;8:686165 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.686165. Accessed: May 2024.
- Amiculum: Enhancing the patient-healthcare professional relationship in multiple myeloma. Available at: https://www.comradis.biz/media/wcxhentc/enhancing-the-patient-hcp-relationship-in-multiple-myeloma.pdf Accessed: May 2024.
- WebMD. How to talk to your doctors when they don’t listen. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/be-heard-by-dr Accessed: May 2024.