Have you ever left the doctor’s office in a rush without asking all of the questions you had?  This brief article, published in HealthLeaders Magazine, summarizes a few organizations’ method of guiding patients through their care.  The article also explains how this approach to care provides benefits to patients and health care organizations.

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Discussion Group Questions

1. The author poses a hypothetical situation in which a patient feels confused, scared, and rushed.   Have you experienced this scenario?  How common do you think it is?
2. Have you met a patient navigator or does the organization in which do your clinical rotations offer a similar service? Explain.
3. Larkin mentions several ways patient navigators benefit patients and the hospital.  Name three of these examples; is one more important than the others?
4. Do you think patients’ ask too many questions? If so, why? If not, why not?
5. What can you do as a future healthcare professional to make your patients feel comfortable and empowered to ask questions about their diagnoses?