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Guidance Resource Questions to Ask Your Provider

Guidance Resource

Questions to Ask Your Provider

A practical guide to preparing clear questions for any visit, test, procedure, or surgery, and keeping each answer beside its question.

Format digital
Access Free / Access-Based
Item ID por016
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Educational support only. This resource complements, not replaces, provider instructions, facility policy, or medical advice.

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Questions to Ask Your Provider is a free CarePlanCompass™ Quick Resource that helps readers prepare clear questions for visits, tests, procedures, and surgery, and keep each answer beside its question. It covers choosing the questions that matter most, asking about everyday life, preparing for a procedure, asking for support, and checking understanding before leaving. Its question pages include a visit plan, questions and answers, procedure questions, and a communication log. It comes from the Guide Understanding Your Care Visits. It is educational and organizational support and does not replace individualized medical, rehabilitation, or emergency care.

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10 sources
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View clinical references 10 sources
  1. Kessels RPC. Patients' memory for medical information. J R Soc Med. 2003;96(5):219-222. doi:10.1258/jrsm.96.5.219
  2. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Be more engaged in your healthcare. AHRQ;Updated November 2024. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.ahrq.gov/questions/be-engaged/index.html Source
  3. Elwyn G, Frosch D, Thomson R, et al. Shared decision making: a model for clinical practice. J Gen Intern Med. 2012;27(10):1361-1367. doi:10.1007/s11606-012-2077-6
  4. American Occupational Therapy Association. Occupations and everyday activities. AOTA;Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.aota.org/practice/domain-and-process/occupations-everyday-activities Source
  5. American Occupational Therapy Association. Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process—Fourth Edition. Am J Occup Ther. 2020;74(Suppl 2):7412410010p1-7412410010p87. doi:10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001 Source
  6. Kinnersley P, Edwards A, Hood K, et al. Interventions before consultations for helping patients address their information needs. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007;(3):CD004565. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004565.pub2
  7. National Institute on Aging. Taking someone to a doctor's appointment: tips for caregivers. National Institutes of Health;Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/medical-care-and-appointments/taking-someone-doctors-appointment-tips-caregivers Source
  8. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Use the teach-back method: tool 5. Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. 3rd ed;Updated April 2024. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/improve/precautions/tool5.html Source
  9. Talevski J, Wong Shee A, Rasmussen B, et al. Teach-back: a systematic review of implementation and impacts. PLoS One. 2020;15(4):e0231350. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0231350
  10. American College of Surgeons. Questions to ask before having an operation. ACS;Accessed October 15, 2026. https://www.facs.org/for-patients/surgery-faq/10-questions/ Source

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