Visit Preparation

Description

Visit Preparation calls encourage patients and Care Partners to identify questions and concerns they would like to discuss with the patient’s healthcare professional in advance of the patient’s next appointment or educational session. During the calls, healthcare professionals:

  • Guide patients and Care Partners in listing questions and preparing home information for the upcoming medical visit.
  • Prompt patients to specify what role they want the Care Partner to play at the visit.
  • Explain that they will send the patient’s after-visit summary to the Care Partner.

How healthcare professionals can use this tool

  • Introduce the concept of Visit Preparation to the patient and Care Partner. Provide the 'Getting the Most Out of Appointments' handouts and the 'Visit Planning Worksheet.'  
  • Send patients and Care Partners messages to prompt them to use the worksheet on their own before upcoming visits. Alternatively, have a team member call the patient (and Care Partner if possible) to guide them through preparing for the visit.
  • Prioritize patients who might particularly benefit from Visit Planning calls. Patients with recent health events such as hospitalizations, changes in their medical regimens, or those doing active home monitoring may particularly benefit.

Click on the document title below to download the material.

Visit Preparation Call Content

Document Content and Uses

Visit Prep Call Flow

and

Visit Preparation Call Script

  • The script is used when healthcare professionals call the patient about an upcoming appointment.
  • The healthcare professional teaches the patient how to identify, prioritize, and write down their main questions to discuss with their provider.
  • The healthcare professional coaches the patient on how to best bring up their main questions or concerns during the appointment.
  • Optional sections include role-playing and discussing the Care Partner's role at the upcoming appointment (if they are attending).

Visit Planning Worksheet

  • Patients are encouraged to complete the visit planning worksheet at home and take it with them to their upcoming appointment.

Getting the Most Out of Appointments           

  • Provides tips for Patients and Care Partners to think about before the upcoming appointment.
  • Discusses areas for Patients and Care Partners to follow up on after the appointment and what to do before the next appointment.

 

How Visit Preparation was used in the original CO-IMPACT Program

Health coaches used the Visit Preparation script during calls they made to patients about a week before their primary care appointments. Patients and Care Partners were encouraged to have their visit preparation worksheet available during the call. If the Care Partner was available and the patient agreed, the Care Partner would join the call by speakerphone, another phone on the same line, or 3-way call.

Recommendations from original CO-IMPACT Health Coaches

  • Encourage patients to get the most out of these calls by suggesting they write down their ‘agenda’ for their medical visit during the call. Pause to allow them to get writing materials and encourage them to complete the visit planning worksheet in a place where they can write comfortably.
  • Ask open-ended rather than yes/no questions. For example, patients would be more engaged if the health coach asked, "What would you like to discuss at your visit?" rather than "Do you have any concerns for the doctor?"
  • Encourage the patient to ask their Care Partner to join the call when possible. If they cannot make the call, encourage the patient to go over the worksheet with their Care Partner and ask if they have anything to add.
  • Ask for the patient's permission to send a copy of any ‘after-visit summaries’ to the Care Partner. Send a summary separately to the Care Partner, even if they live with the patient.