Implementation

Consumer Engagement in Champion Health Services

Encouraging health consumers to initiate conversations about their health care can start by building a culture where it is comfortable to ask questions. Choosing Wisely research has found that giving health consumers permission to ask questions is an important place to start. We’ve developed some resources for health services to demonstrate their health professionals are ready to listen.

Creating the environment

Keep in mind that health consumers are hesitant to ask questions because of fear of receiving lower quality care or poorer outcomes.

Invite and encourage questions without obligation or pressure.

Support and educate consumers without making them feel their questions are irrelevant, incorrect or bothersome.

Reduce barriers

One of the biggest barriers to health consumers asking questions, is that they do not feel like they have the permission to ask questions.

The following resources and recommendations have been developed with consumer insights to help create a permissive environment of trust and approachability.

Empowering consumers to ask questions about their healthcare

Find out more about the research that informed the development of these resources by watching this presentation.

Empowering consumers to ask questions about their health care

How to use these resources?

  • Personalise the ‘Got questions? We’re listening’ poster to your health service. Choosing Wisely can customise the ‘Got questions? We’re listening’ poster with your own staff photo. Photos must be supplied at high resolution (300 dpi, minimum width of 297mm) and your logo supplied as an EPS file. Soft copies (PDF) will be made available for you to professionally print as an A3 poster.

    Our research found that consumers preferred images of ‘realistic-looking’ health professionals with open and smiling expressions. This is because they are perceived to be inviting, encouraging and personable. Key to the concept is that the health professional is listening, so photos should follow the example poster with the health professional wearing the stethoscope with the earpieces in and holding up the chest piece. They also wanted to see health professionals from their hospital as the graphic on the poster as this gives it a more personalised touch.



    Contact Choosing Wisely at [email protected] for more details.
  • Display the “Got Questions” posters alongside the Choosing Wisely 5 Questions

  • The Choosing Wisely 5 Questions provides consumers with questions to ask and to feel comfortable having conversations with their health professionals.

  • Consider factors that are likely to impact the visibility of campaign posters, such as their size, location, the presence of materials competing for patients’ attention and the patients’ circumstances.

  • Consider exploring a multi-modal approach to the consumer campaign, including passive approaches (e.g. posters, brochures, videos) to active (e.g. health professional engagement) strategies relevant to the hospital setting.

  • Consider exploring the impact of the consumer campaign from the consumer as well as the health professional perspectives.

More resources

5 Questions

5 questions to ask your doctor or other healthcare provider to make sure you end up with the right amount of care.

Find out more