It’s OK to Ask healthcare campaign launched

Scotland’s national health information service, NHS inform, is encouraging patients to ask questions about their care and treatment in a new campaign called It’s OK to Ask, writes Colin Smeeton.

The campaign is designed to encourage conversations between patients and healthcare professionals so that patients can be better informed and make better decisions regarding their health.

NHS 24’s Head of Pharmacy Dr John McAnaw said: ‘It’s happened to us all - you come out of a healthcare appointment realising the questions you forgot to ask or worrying over the questions you wanted to ask but didn’t.

‘This new campaign encourages a little bit of forward planning around what you’d like to know about your care from your healthcare professional. Before an appointment or discussion, take some time to think about what you’d like to know about your treatment Some handy questions are: What are the benefits of my treatment?; what are the risks of my treatment?; are there other treatments I can try; what if I do nothing?

These kind of questions can help you feel more involved in decisions about your care and give you confidence in following your healthcare plan.

‘Your healthcare professional is happy to answer any questions you might have, as they know it’s better to have patients who are content and informed about their next steps. Simply by being more involved, you’ll be able to make better decisions about your own care.’

The It’s OK to Ask campaign is supported by NHS Scotland and will be featured on social media channels and radio broadcasts. Further information about the campaign can be found at www.nhsinform. scot/oktoask