Slideshow: What to Say When Your Patient Brings a List
1. Acknowledge the list.
“I see you have a list of questions. Let's look at it together.” Or: “Do you have a list of what you want to talk about today?”
2. Negotiate what to cover.
“I would like to cover as much as we can from your list, but I also want to take a few minutes to talk about X. Let's look at your list together and decide on the three most important issues for today. We can discuss the rest at a follow-up visit.”
3. Set the agenda for the visit.
“Let's make sure we are on the same page. We are going to cover these three issues today … correct?” Or: “Are you okay with our plan for today's visit? I want to make sure that we are covering the most important issues.”
4. Surface any remaining concerns.
“Is there something else you would like to discuss today?”
5. Plan for the next visit.
"Since we were unable to finish talking about all the items on your list today, let's schedule another visit.”