Three simple questions to improve your health
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It is important for patients to feel comfortable asking their healthcare providers questions, and Backus hopes to encourage open communication through the Ask Me 3 campaign.
Bonnie Thompson, APRN, Director of Patient Safety at Backus, said the medical staff recently approved using the National Patient Safety Foundation's campaign to improve health literacy.
Health literacy is the ability to read, understand and effectively use basic medical instructions and information. Low health literacy can affect anyone of any age, ethnicity, background, or education level. The National Patient Safety Foundation estimates low health literacy costs the health system as much as $58 billion a year.
The AskMe 3 campaign encourages patients to ask three simple questions of their healthcare providers:
- What ismymain problem?
- What do I need to do?
- Why is it important forme to do this?
Setu Vora,MD, Quality and Safety Officer at Backus, said doctors and medical staff have the best of intentions, but sometimes communications with patients can be improved.
"The strongest predictor of healthcare outcomes is healthcare literacy," he said. "We can reduce readmission rates and improve overall health if people understand what their diagnosis was, what treatment was recommended and how to implement that treatment," he said.
Ms. Thompson said posters are in all patient rooms as well as around the hospital.
"These three broad questions are a great way to get the conversation started," she said. "Patients also can follow up with further questions if they still don't understand, such as ‘This is new to me. Could you please explain it to me one more time?'"
"We are telling people it is all right to ask questions, it is a good way to remind them we want to hear from them and we want them to be involved in their healthcare decisions," she said.