Patient Safety Update: Patient Safety Awareness Week - AHRQ Tools Help Foster Communicat​ion Between Patients and Clinicians

AHRQ Tools Help Foster Communication Between Patients and Clinicians

“Questions Are the Answer,” a new public education initiative from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), encourages patients and their clinicians to engage in effective two-way communication to ensure safer care and better health outcomes.

To promote safer care and the importance of Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 4–10), AHRQ offers these free tools that health care providers can use with their patients:

• A 7-minute video featuring patients and clinicians who give firsthand accounts on the importance of asking questions and sharing information—this tool is ideal for a patient waiting room area and can be set to run on a continuous loop.
  Waiting Room Video (Questions are the Answer)

• A new brochure, titled "Be More Involved in Your Health Care: Tips for Patients," that offers helpful suggestions to follow before, during and after a medical visit.

• Notepads to help patients prioritize the top three questions they wish to ask during their medical appointment.

• An interactive “Question Builder” tool that enables patients to create, prioritize and print a personalized list of questions based on their health condition.
  Question Builder

For more information, go to www.ahrq.gov/questions. To request free copies of the DVD, brochure and notepad, email AHRQpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or call 800–358–9295 and include the following reference numbers: DVD (AHRQ Pub. No. 10-(12)-0094-DVD); brochure (AHRQ Pub. No. 10(11)-0094-A; notepad (AHRQ Pub. No. 10(11)-0094-1).